A Demon's Fire
by Sage of the Wolves
Summary: Demons prowl the forest at every turn, making life for the warrior Clans that much harder. Seen as savages, they are treated with scorn and driven away as best as possible. But some lurk closer than most know. One such kit is found alone near ThunderClan, can she be taught to defend the Clan and value loyalty or will she tear apart her foster Clan to sate her ravenous hunger?
1. A Bloody Meeting

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

In the depths of the dark forest, a snow storm was just subsiding. Everything in the woods was covered in snow, but the shadows and darkness of the night gave in a sinister air. A small she-kit, a pale ginger babe with somewhat darker stripes adorning her, looked around, her pale green eyes wide. The small kit was shivering in snow. What was she doing here, so far from home?

She only wanted an adventure, a little fun to tell the other kits in the nursery. It had been easy to slip away from the camp. The snow was so fun to play in, she jumped in and out of snowdrifts, laughing. She at first didn't understand why no one was really keen to be outside but now...after she calmed down and stopped to take a moment to breath, she realized she had no idea where she was! The little kit tried to keep calm, panicking would only make things worse. If she stayed put, maybe someone from her Clan would spot her and take her home. Maybe...maybe she could find a hollow log or a rock to take shelter under.

The night continue to wear on and the pale ginger kit couldn't feel her paws anymore. She was so close to closing her eyes, it was so cold, maybe a small nap would help her. Yet just before she was about to close her eyes, the she-kit smelled another scent coming towards her and heard the sound of paws crunching the snow. The tiny babe perked up her ears and struggled to her paws, maybe it was someone from her Clan come to rescue her!

Letting out a tiny mew, the kit was faced not with anyone from her Clan, but a unknown tomcat. He was massive easily bigger than any tom she head ever seen, with long white fur and gleaming gold eyes. The cold and snow seemed to have no affect on him. In his left eye, there was a sliver of blue and the tom grinned at her, waving his tail.

Something about him about the she-kit tremble, and not just from the cold. She lowered herself to the freezing ground, her ears flat and her fur fluffed out in unease.

"Such a young kit, out here all alone. Where are your parents, little one? They must be worried."

"I..I'm lost. I don't know how to get home." the kit shuffled nervously as the male came closer, still grinning.

"Oh, well. Maybe I can help you. It's much too cold for someone as small as you to out here. Come, I'll make sure you stay warm."

The kit tilted her head and looked up at the male, his eyes catching her attention as she then felt her muscles loosen and her mind going blank. "You...can?"

"Yes...I'll keep you warm in my stomach!" The male then jumped at the kit with a growl, who woke up just in time to scramble away, spraying snow in the white cat's face. Sensing the danger she was in, the pale ginger kit let a terrified wail, her scream cutting through the forest.

The male had by then shaken the snow from his eyes and pounced on the kit, stepping on her back and baring long fangs at her. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick, a little snack like you won't feel much pain anyway!"

The kit tried to defend herself, clawing at the male's muzzle and nose but he barely reacted, instead only laughing the sh-kit's attempt. Yet just as the male opened his jaws and leaned in to devour the kit, another scent and another rush of paws appeared. The pale kit shut her eyes at this and hunched her shoulders, resigning herself to her fate. However instead of mind numbing pain, she heard a strained yelp and felt something warm splash into her and opened her eyes to see another huge tom, ginger like herself but much darker, standing over the white tom with bloody paws and glowing greens eyes, a sliver of purple adoring the left one.

"Such a pathetic sight, preying on a kit." he muttered, his mew deep yet full of calm disgust.

The dark ginger tom looked down at the kit while swiping the corpse of the white cat away into the shadows before albeit a little roughly, grasping the kit by her scruff and carrying her through the snow. Too stunned to really speak, the she-kit didn't struggle, and she eventually closed her eyes, feeling safe enough with this cat.

After a while, the kit woke up to find herself close to her Clan's camp and leaped to her paws, her eyes wide. How did she get here? Looking around, she was just able to see the tom who rescued her walking away and she raced to catch up with him.

"Wait. Wait, please!" she called up, grateful that the big male stopped and looked at her and like with the white tom before him, she was captured by his odd colored gaze. Yet he was quick to turn away, staring ahead. "I...I just wanted to thank you. For saving me. My name is Sandkit, what's yours?"

The dark ginger male sighed softly but still didn't look at her and only shook his head. "You should be more careful, kit. Know who or what you're dealing with. Never stare into a demon's eyes, or else you'll never be able to get free."

"Demon? ...You mean you...?" Sandkit started to tremble again, the stories that her mother used to tell her about savage monster cats eating one another surged in her mind. Yet despite her obvious terror, the tom didn't make a move towards her. Instead, he simply nodded.

"Yes. Always be on your guard. And my kind does not name their children but...you can call me Jake. Be good, young kit. And remember what I told you." He then started walking off and a few minutes later, a group of cats came and surrounded Sandkit, one of which, a pretty looking gray tabby molly came and wrapped her in her arms, licking the kit all over and purring in relief. Yet, Sandkit barely reacted to any of this, her gaze was still fixed on where Jake had gone. A demon, she had been rescued by a demon.

A cold wind ruffled Sandkit's fur, bringing Jake's scent to her and the small kit let out a small, hesitant smile. Maybe...she would be able to meet her savoir again. Maybe they could even be friends, someday.

Demons. No one is sure where they came from, what they wanted, and most importantly, why they took the forms of cats. Most only knew them to be creatures that were massive, feral monsters, only interested in furthering their own lives. For them, nothing else mattered but eat and survive. Especially since these demons liked to consume the flesh of the animals they took the forms of. Mother cats would always warn their kits, never look into the eyes of a demon, for if you do, you would became enthralled by them.

**A/N: New story, y'all. This will be a retelling of Into the Wild but with it's won take on a few things. Things will be shuffled around or taken out to fit this narrative, sorry not sorry if you don't like. Characters WILL be different from their canon counterparts. Don't know yet if I'm going to do all the books in the original but I do want to get at least the first book out. Hope you all still enjoy the journey.**


	2. An Unexpected Reveal

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Early morning sunlight filtered in through the morning of the apprentices' den, causing Sandpaw, the pale ginger molly, to stir awake. She opened her eyes slowly and turned her head, staring at the camp entrance. She wanted to lay in her nest for a few more minutes but knew that Whitestorm would scold her if she kept him waiting. Sighing softly, the pale molly got to her paws and exited the den, blinking in the warm sunshine.

Shaking her head lightly, Sandpaw spotted Whitestorm sitting not too far away, speaking with the tabby warrior, Longtail. The younger cat walked up to them both and dipped her head respectively before turning her eyes on her mentor. For just a moment, Sandpaw was reminded of the white tom that attacked her when she was a kit when looking at her mentor, they both had thick white fur and powerful bodies. Doing so made her close her eyes for a moment, her shoulders shaking._'Get a grip!'_ she berated herself, that tom was dead and Whitestorm was nothing but kind and fair. He would never hurt her!

The white warrior tilted his head at his apprentice's behavior and touched the tip of his tail to her shoulder, bringing Sandpaw out of her thoughts. The dark striped cat looked up at him, gratitude and lingering unease shining in her eyes. She let out a sigh and tried to stand taller, but her legs shook.

"If you want to stay at camp..." Whitestorm began but Sandpaw cut him off, shaking her head wildly.

"No! I mean, no. I can do this, Whitestorm. I'm okay, really." Whitestorm narrowed his eyes at her but got to his paws, his gaze thoughtful.

"Very well, let's go. We're going out on a hunting patrol" He then turned and lead the way out the camp and into the forest beyond.

Despite saying she was fine, Sandpaw walked with her head down, her tail dragging in the dust. Whitestorm had to call out to her three times before she finally heard him and even then, she looked distracted.

"Sandpaw, focus! I want you to practice stalking. Try catching at least two rabbits, before sunhigh. Think you can handle that?" Whitestorm asked, a little sternly while looking up at the sky. Sunhigh would not be too far off, it would be a good challenge for his apprentice. Sandpaw seemed to become more aware with the assigning of the task and was now facing her mentor with a determined light dancing in her eyes.

"I won't fail you, Whitestorm! I promise!"

The white warrior nodded, a small smile on his muzzle before he gave the call to start. Sandpaw was off in a flash, her tail streaming out from behind her. Whitestorm watched her go with a slight exasperated exhale before slowly following after his apprentice, thinking that things were now moving forward.

However, things were not moving as forward as Sandpaw wanted it. No matter how hard she searched, she couldn't now find a single rabbit, not even tracks. Stepping lightly and searching a clump of bracken, she straightened up and growled softly, digging her claws into the dirt while lashing her tail. Where were those stupid rodents?!

Huffing crossly, Sandpaw walked on, checking the wind for any scent of rabbit when she suddenly caught on to two scents. One she knew very well, blood, and the other was...cat-like. It didn't smell like any cat she knew. It was coming from near Twolegplace.

Sitting down, Sandpaw thought of what to do. If it was an intruder, it was her duty to run them off but if it was a kit in pain then shouldn't she help? And what of Whitestorm? She had a feeling her mentor was nearby, but now sure _where_. Perhaps, it would be best to go it alone, she was sure it was nothing too bad. Besides, Whitestorm said her fighting moves were impressive. She could handle herself. With a determined nod, she followed the scent.

The closer and closer she got to Twolegplace, the stronger the scent of blood became, almost overlaying the scent of cat. Sandpaw groaned softly and for a brief moment, closed her eye but continued running. In that moment, Sandpaw tripped over something and went for a small tumble, landing on her side.

Cursing under her breath, the pale ginger molly turned her head to see a another kitten like herself splayed over the ground. The other kit's scent told Sandpaw that it was female was well, but this was not the most interesting thing about her, this kitten was skin and bones, had blood covering her front paws and had very familiar flame colored fur.

Eyes widening, Sandpaw got to her paws and slowly, slowly made her way over to the kit and cautiously nudged her. The flame pelted kit didn't move and Sandpaw nudged her again. Still no response. Sandpaw flattened her ears and took a step back before fully turning her back. Maybe she should find Whitestorm...

Sandpaw glanced back at the prone she-kit, her fur reminding the apprentice of Jake, she looked so much like him! Could it be...that they were related so how? Closing her eyes, the young apprentice thought back to when Jake saved her life, she remembered everything about him, his voice, the way he held himself, his eyes...Looking at this kit, there _had_ to be a connection.

As she went over her thoughts, Sandpaw's ears twitched to light scuffling and it was the only warning she got before she suddenly felt thorn sharp claws piercing her shoulder and little fangs pinching at her neck before she wildly started to buck, feeling the claws rip away from her and heard a small grunt.

Hissing softly, Sandpaw faced her attacker, only to see the kitten glaring at her with burning emerald green eyes. At that, Sandpaw gasped...those eyes...they were the same as Jake's! Even down to having that tiny bit of purple in her left eye.

"...Jake?" Sandpaw muttered, forgetting everything and dropping her guard. The smaller kit looked confused at that, but didn't lose focus. Instead, she growled louder.

"How do you know that name? Were you the one that killed him?!" She tried leaping at Sandpaw, but the apprentice came back to reality and swatted the tiny molly away.

_'Killed? Jake?'_ the thought ran through Sandpaw's head in a whirl. Who could be strong enough to take such a cat like Jake down? She however had to focus on the task at hand and even though the small kit was more skeleton than cat, her uncontrolled blows packed a heavy punch.

Sandpaw hissed as the tiny claws raked across her muzzle she retaliated with a swipe of her own, but the kit was prepared for it and even though the hit connected, it barely made her flinch.

"Murderer of my father, I'll send all the pain you gave him back at you! I'll eat you alive!" she snarled and Sandpaw could _feel_ the hatred rolling off the kit in waves. And it was with those words, Sandpaw knew, she was truly fighting a demon!

"You'll do no such thing!" Whitestorm's deep growl caused both females to look up, only to end it with him sending the kit flying with a mighty tackle. Landing hard on her back, the little demon was quickly back on her paws but seeing such a formidable opponent, even one that was not her kind, the demon knew she couldn't win this fight.

With a final hiss, she at first backed away but then turned full tilt and ran. The bushes rustled for a moment as she ran through them but going still. Whitestorm stared at where she vanished before turning to Sandpaw, looking at her wounds.

"Come, we must get Spottedleaf to look at you. Nasty creature did try to tear you apart. We'll have to report to Bluestar as well, even if she's small, such a vile thing can't remain this close to camp. Let's go, Sandpaw."

However, Sandpaw was rooted to the spot. Jake was dead? How could that be? Who or what could have strong enough to kill a beast like him. Sandpaw looked up at the sky, her mind a mass of questions. For the moment, her injuries were the least of her worries, she wanted to know what happened to Jake. And Sandpaw was sure that the only one who could anything was the little ginger she-kit who just swore to kill her.

Sandpaw had to find her and get answers. A chill ran down the apprentice's spine, a dark cloud of blood and monsters was starting to form over her head.

**A/N: Well, here's the second chapter. Anyone want to try and guess who killed Jake and why? Answers will soon come, but you gotta stay tuned.**


	3. Proposal and Searching for Answers

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Whitestorm led Sandpaw back to the camp, the older tom's ears twitched constantly at every sound and his fur was bristling even after they arrived home. He went straight for the leader, Bluestar's, den and Sandpaw watched him for a moment, the pain of her wounds seemed so far away at the moment.

However, she knew that she would have to get looked at, Whitestorm would only worry if she didn't. With a small sigh, Sandpaw trudged to the medicine cat den where she found Sppotedleaf, the lovely dappled tortoiseshell molly, sorting herbs and muttering quietly to herself. Her ears flicked when she heard Sandpaw push through the ferns to get to her and greeted her warmly before gasping in surprise at her injuries.

The pretty molly stepped closer to Sandpaw to see the full extent of her hurts, but as she did do, Spottedleaf stiffened at the scent clinging to Sandpaw and started to tremble, her claws coming out to sink into the ground.

Sandpaw tilted her head and called out to Spottedleaf, breaking the medicine cat out of her thoughts. The older cat shook her head and took a step back, her ears flat. "I'm...sorry...that scent, it's...Never mind. I'll get you something to numb the pain."

Sandpaw was given poppy seeds and chewed golden rod before being given the all clear by Spottedleaf to go. The ginger molly dipped her hea and turned to go, coming just in tie to see Whitestorm leave Bluestar's den. The blue-gray leader of ThunderClan looked trouble and when their eyes met, Bluestar signaled for Sandpaw to join her.

"Whitestorm was telling me about the demon kit you fought against, Sandpaw. You did well in defending yourself against it. Though it is strange that it was by itself, I thought that they at least stayed with their parents until they were older."

"She was screaming that someone she calls Jake was killed. I would think they were looking after her." Whitestorm replied, coming back in and sitting down, wrapping his tail around his paws.

Bluestar looked from one cat to the other, closing her eyes to think. When she opened them, they were bright with determination. "Demons, however small they are, can grow to be a danger not just for ThunderClan but _all_ Clans. We must go to her, monitor her movements. Perhaps...no. Whitestorm, you and I will go if we can find her. It'll be hard, but we must try to keep her contained as best as we can. Until then, no apprentice shall be allowed anywhere in our territory without a warrior with them. We can't go feeding her. Sandpaw, I want you to stay here. You've had quite the experience and you need to rest."

"But I-" Sandpaw started but was cut off by Bluestar, who narrowed her eyes at her.

"No, Sandpaw! It's too dangerous! We'll be fine, don't worry." The older molly got up and touched noses with her before walking past. Whitestorm followed but not before doing the same to his apprentice with an head bump.

"I'll come back to you, Sandpaw, I promise."

"Okay, Whitestorm. But please, you and Bluestar...be careful!"

xXxX

Deep in ThunderClan's territory, three bodies of cats littered the forest floor. They all had their flesh completely ravaged, their throats shredded to ribbons, paws either broken or torn off entirely. Their bellies ripped and pulled apart, exposing ribs and half eaten organs to the sun. Every one of their faces were frozen into looks of terror and pain.

One corpse even had their eyes ripped out and lower jaw missing. In the middle of this carnage, one hulking, living cat lay in the middle, covered in blood and tearing into what looked like the remains of a heart, purring lowly at the taste as they chewed with relish. They had a scratch here and there and even a bite on their shoulder, but it seemed to bother the large cannibal little as they continued to eat.

The huge cat took another bite of the dead cat closet to them before suddenly getting up while still holding the dead cat in his jaws and dragging it some way further in ThunderClan's land. They stopped near Twolegplace and dumped the body, letting out a soft yowl that hung in the air before the bushes in front of them started to shake, revealing the fire colored demon kit.

Her eyes went right to the corpse, her mouth drooling, she ran for the dead lump of flesh but the bigger cat, a demon like her, chuckled and lifted it out of her reach. The female demon snarled softly but it was clear her earlier tussle with Sandpaw and Whitestorm, plus her own starving state of being left her largely ineffective as a threat.

Still the bigger demon smirked and tossed the meat towards the she-kit, who not caring it was already partially eaten, tackled the corpse with ravenous hunger. Soon her fur was dyed red with blood as her food bringer took to keeping watch, it wouldn't do to be caught unawares.

"Poor thing, I heard that you were all alone. You're clearly starving, and I bet you don't know how to hunt prey just yet. Let's make a deal, I'll bring you food and when the time comes, you help me. Sound fair?"

The kit paused in her eating just long enough to glare at the massive demon, her claws digging into the flesh and fur of the dead cat, tearing it. "I'm not a weapon you can just call on-"

"Fine, starve to death then. Or be killed by ThunderClan. They'll never let you live. See how far you get in your state." the other interrupted, beginning to walk off with a smirk on their muzzle. They stopped when the kit, ears flat and eyes locked down at her tiny paws, called out to them.

"I...I don't want to starve. Let me think about it."

The older demon continued to smirk but lashed their thick tail. "I'll allow that. Better be quick, I don't like waiting. I'll give you two days. If you're not dead by then, of course." the cat then loped off, into the shadows, leaving the kit behind to think of the offer they had been given.

XxXx

Whitstorm and Bluestar came back late in the afternoon, having not found one whisker of the flame furred demon kit. By now, word had gotten out about her in the camp and quite a few of the younger warriors and the queens especially were worried, there was a sharp tang of fear scent hanging in the air.

Sandpaw sat by the entrance of the apprentices' den, her tail twitching and her paws working the ground. She had been thinking of looking for the kit herself. But if Whitestorm and even Bluestar herself couldn't do it, what chance did she, a mere apprentice, have?

_'No, I need answers. And that little kit is the only one who can give said answers.' _Sandpaw got to her paws and looked up into the sky painted with the colors of sunset. The pale fur molly stared at the clouds before looking to the camp entrance. she would wait until it was dark, the shadows would help hid her fur and she knew enough to avoid being spotted by the moonhigh patrol...she hoped.

Night had fallen quickly and Sandpaw, though she had planned and planned, sudden;y felt skittish as she pulled herself out of the apprentices' den. Looking around and scenting the air, there were no guards about. At least for now.

Heaving a great sigh, Sandpaw continued on, leaving the camp and entering the dark forest alone for the first time ever. She took a moment to look around, everything seemed so different in the dark! Taking a deep breath, the apprentice moved onward, trying to remember the kit's scent so she would be able to track her.

The pale ginger female eventually stopped, she was near Tallpines but not because of any scent. She couldn't find anything! Not one trace of the little kit! How could someone so small and weak stay under the radar so well?

Shaking her head, Sandpaw scuffed the ground with her claws, determined to find the kit. Slipping under a hollow log, she suddenly caught the kit's scent and pulled herself out from under, glancing around frantically. However, as she tried to locate the little cat eater, she was nowhere to be seen.

That was until Sandpaw felt a weight fall on her from above and tiny yet sharp fangs grip into her throat.

**A/N: Here's chapter 3, hope you guys are liking it so far. Soon we'll be getting to the more Into the Wild stuff, I just wanted to lay the groundwork on a few things. Stay tuned for the next chapter~**


	4. More Than Enough

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw writhed and bucked wildly, it didn't take long to dislodge her attacker. Her opponent hissed as they were thrown and Sandpaw soon saw it was the little kit. Said kitten glared at her, fangs bared and claws out, Sandpaw felt that was was something different about her though she looked the same skin and bones cat.

The demon let out another hiss, slowly slinking to the side and Sandpaw followed her movements, keeping on guard. With a demon, even one as malnourished and weak as her, to lower meant a slow, painful death.

However, the demon suddenly stopped, sat down and began licking her left fore-paw but the glare remained and Sandpaw could sense the aggression still hanging in the air.

"What do you want, murderer?" the smaller she-kit growled, every word dripping with distrust and hatred.

Sandpaw's fur bristled at that and she couldn't stop herself from baring her fangs, her ears flattening. "I'm not a murderer!"

"You killed Jake! You killed my father! Why come back here, looking for me, if you didn't want to finish the job and kill me too?" the tiny molly shot back, standing to her full height, which wasn't much but Sandpaw couldn't help taking a step back.

"I didn't kill Jake, he saved my life when I was just a kit! I came here to ask _you_ if you saw what happened." Sandpaw shook her head, the knowledge that Jake, her savior, was dead still weighed on her, and she lowered her head. "He was so strong, something had to have happened. Jake wouldn't...he couldn't have died so easy!"

However, the fire colored kit wasn't moved and snarled, looking like she was about to pounce again. "So you say, hiding in the dark like a coward, you struck my father down from behind. But I'm not like you, I'll tear you apart facing you, Jake will have his revenge through me!"

Her words seemed to wake up Sandpaw and she just nearly dodged the young one's claw swipe, she wasn't so lucky the next time and received a gash on her muzzle. Sandpaw winced but she barely had time to truly agonize over this pain before she felt her right cheek burning followed by the sticky wetness of blood dripping from it.

Shaking her head, the dark striped cat lunged at her attacker who merely jumped higher and landed hard on her, knocking the wind from the Clan cat. This was followed by a harsh bite on her shoulder and Sandpaw yowled with pain, it only became louder when the demon's claws ripped into her back.

There was no way she could win, no forget about winning, she just wanted to make it out alive! Legs shaking and eyes wide with fear, Sandpaw forced herself to her paws and dashed forward, she felt the kit let go but heard paws thudding behind her.

Pain laced through her as she felt her tail being bitten right before her haunches were torn into. The ginger molly tried to get the demon off with multiple claw swipes but thought her blood was being spilled, the demon refused to stop.

The horrible realization then set in, she was in the same situation like when she was a kit...but this time, no one was going to save her. Jake was dead and her Clanmates didn't know she was out here. She was going to die, thought of as a murderer to the one who saved her life. She was going to die and it would her own fault.

Suddenly, she felt the weight of the demon leave her and with nothing left in her, Sandpaw collapsed, barely catching the scent of ThunderClan. She tried to raise her head to see who it was but her vision was already clouding and soon she fainted from blood loss. The ThunderClan cat looked down on her torn and bleeding body before focusing on the demon just as she was regaining herself and about to attack.

However that chance never came as the ThunderClan cat lunged foward, jaws opened wide and clamped them down around the kit's neck. There was a sickening crunch before the fire furred demon suddenly went limp, a spray of blood coming from the horrible wound on her throat.

The ThunderClan cat then turned, still holding the kit and maneuvered Sandpaw onto their back and carried both mollies towards the camp, their pace not even remotely hindered from the excess weight they were carrying.

XxXx

Sandpaw woke up groaning, every part of her body feeling like it was on fire. The pale flame molly weakly raised her head, and hissed immediately. A new blaze of fire rippled through her and she whimpered, putting her head back down.

A few seconds later, a tortoiseshell molly was at her side, gently nudging her and licking her uninjured shoulder. "How are you feeling?" her sweet voice asked, her tone low but calming. "You've been asleep for two days, you've lost a lot of blood. Whitestorm was worried sick about you. What did you think you were doing, taking on that demon by yourself?" here the voice sharpened slightly in angry concern, and the tortoiseshell flattened her ears. "You couldn't have been killed! And for what?"

"I...I needed to know...what happened to Jake." Sandpaw answered slowly, her whole body shaking with the effort. "That kit...she is his daughter...she thought...I killed him."

The tortoiseshell snorted at that and looked over to where another cat was lying motionless. The fire kit. Narrowing her eyes, the older molly shook her head and settled next to Sandpaw licking her cheek.

"Well, I'm sure you'll heed the word of your leader from now on. Rest now, your body is going to take a long while to recover. Rest now, rest now."

Her voice was like a welcome drone to Sandpaw and soon she closed her eyes, drifting back off to sleep. A soon as she was able to, the pretty molly got to her paws and walked over to the motionless fire colored kit. Then without hesitation or any remorse, she bit into the kit's shoulder, before easily dodging out of the way when she yowled and tried swiping at her.

"I'm Spottedleaf," the colorful female said, licking the blood from her lips. The small kit glared at her while shaking her head, groaning with pain as her throat burned with pain as did her shoulder.

"I don't care who you are, I'm going to-" the kit began, staring at Spottedleaf right in the eyes, even this young the demons' power to entrance and ensnare others with their was strong. But Spottedleaf stared back, unaffected, her own eyes reflecting boredom and underneath that...smugness? That caught the kit off guard and her muzzled clamped shut. She narrowed her eyes and leaned into Spottedleaf, but the molly didn't move, she only flexed her unsheathed claws, as if daring the kit to try something.

"...You...you're a-" the kit began, her fur rising in some undetermined emotion, her eyes wide. Spottedleaf gave a smug smirk, it was weird seeing it on such a pretty face.

"Yes, though not as much as you." she muttered softly, still looking smug. The kit's eyes widened even more at that she suddenly lunged forward, baring her fangs. However, much like before Spottedleaf bit down on the small babe and drove her fangs in deep into her neck. The small demon gasped and choked until her eyes rolled up into her head and she once again went limp.

Spottedleaf dropped her into her her nest before placing her paw in her wounded shoulder, pressing her claws in. "I may not be fully one, but I am more than enough to defend my Clan against the likes of you. And the ones that lurk in the shadows." she growled softly, her eyes glittering resolutely. In her left eye, among the amber were flecks of green.


	5. Getting Somewhere

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories  
  
For the next week and a half, Sandpaw was forced to stay in the medicine den, her wounds taking long to heal, with every movement she made burning intensely. During that time, Whitestorm would come often to visit her. The big white warrior wasn't happy that she disobeyed orders but at the same time he was overjoyed that his apprentice made it out alive.

However this also had the affect of the demon kit earning his ire, every time he came to see Sandpaw, his eyes would narrow and the pale ginger molly would see his claws digging into the ground of the den. Sandpaw was also the talk of the camp, being the only cat known in ThunderClan to survive an encounter with a demon. Most would come to ask her how it was fighting with such a monster. Sanpaw would try to answer but she would also just stay quiet. The experience wasn't something she was actually fond of recounting.

Spottedleaf was a great healer, listening to any hurts the young cat had while being as gentle and comforting as she could. She made the pain somewhat bearable and Sandpaw would sometimes be able to move without her body feeling like it was fall apart at any minute.

The demon kit on the under hand was carefully guarded, a warrior was always stationed at Spottedleaf's den entrance and anytime she had to leave the den, mostly to make dirt, three warriors flanked her in a tight formation.

As she came and went, Sandpaw noticed that the kit had some deep wounds on her neck that looked fresh and Spottedleaf barely did anything more than putting cobwebs on them to stop the bleeding. She also saw the medicine cat and the kit did everything they could to stay as far from each other was possible. IT was so strange, seeing the normally kind and demure Spottedleaf care so little about someone, even a young demon. Sandpaw wanted to ask but thought it better to keep her mouth shut.

On her last day in the medicine den, Bluestar herself came to visit her. Her leader, much like Whitestorm was disappointed that Sandpaw had defied an order but was relieved that the young cat made it out alive. Bluestar was rather brief, asking her if she was okay and giving her a gentle nuzzle before her attention was pulled to the demon kit.

This time, said kit was awake but brooding, glaring at them both. Sandpaw then noticed for the first time that the little one seemed even worst now. If possible, she looked even hungrier and after a moment, Sandpaw could hear her belly rumbling.

"Aren't you hungry? Why do you not eat?" Bluestar asked while Sandpaw gave her a certain look, didn't her leader know what these creatures ate. The younger molly then noticed that Bluestar seemed tense, as if she was waiting for what the kit would say.

Sandpaw's hunch seemed to be correct as the kit scowled and bared her fangs, snapping at Bluestar's leg to her credit, the leader didn't flinch. "I will not eat your disgusting mice food! Give me a nice young cat or even your dying! Give them that and I will gladly eat."

"Not on your life. I'll shove the fresh-kill down your throat if I have to, but I won't allow you to consume one soul here!" Bluestar growled, flattening her ears and taking a step forward.

Surprisingly, the kit flinched at the show of force and backed away, turning her head away from the older molly. Bluestar, though not happy, nodded to this and looked over when she heard someone coming in the den. Spottedleaf. The pretty medicine cat was holding herbs in her mouth and tilted her head when seeing Bluestar who then turned fully to her.

"You've been keeping an eye on her?" she asked, her tail tip twitching.

Spottedleaf only blinked before dipping her head and dropping the herbs. "Yes, I can keep her under control. But I am only one cat, Bluestar, there's only so much I can do. However, even that is better than the alternative."

The blue gray leader glanced over at the kit, her gaze thoughtful. "You're right, but we'll have to be careful. Still, see if you can get her to eat something. She maybe a demon but she is still a kit. I must talk with my senior warriors now. Feed her and continue keeping an eye on her."

"Of course, Bluestar." Spottedleaf muttered, while the kit only hissed at the ongoing conversation. The tortoiseshell heard and grinned but not before sending Sandpaw away. "I'm sure you would like some air. Go on, I want to have a little alone time with this troublesome kit."

Sandpaw's ears twitched and she hesitated, to which Spottedleaf shook her head. "Don't worry, I wouldn't kill a kit, even if it is a demon." she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. It seemed to convince Sandpaw and she shakily got to her paws, thinking of heading the apprentices' den. She wanted to see how the others were doing.

Once Sandpaw was gone, Spottedleaf turned her attention, her eyes full of displeasure. "You'll have to eat soon, you know. Or else you'll starve to death."

The stunted kit snorted and laid down in her nest, trying in vain to lick at the bite marks that Spottedleaf has given her. "Don't want it. I can't eat that slop."

Spottedleaf jeered at that, her claws scraping against the ground. "Won't, not can't. Trust me, I know. It's not as good as cat flesh but it's better than slowly dying of hunger!" She then suddenly left and came back with a large mouse, dropping it in front of the kit. "Eat!"

The kit glowered at the mouse before shaking her head, turning her back. Spottedleaf snarled softly and was about to leap at the kitten but the timely arrival of Sandpaw stayed her and she whirled around to where her stock of herbs were. Sandpaw could see and smell the healer's agitation but something told her to keep her mouth shut.

Her gaze then went to the kit and she then saw the mouse at her side. If she was hungry, why wouldn't she...The pale flame colored molly than snorted to herself, of course she wouldn't eat it, she probably never ate a mouse before.

Steeling herself, Sandpaw walked over to the kit and even though she had tried to kill her, seeing the bones clearly through her fur and hearing the loud rumbling of her belly helped Sandpaw push it aside.

She gently tapped the kit on her shoulder, though she was surprised when the wee thing flinched and hunched her shoulders before stirring. When she saw that it was Sandpaw, she huffed and closed her eyes. "What?"

"You need to eat. I...I know that you probably can't but...you have to try...Slowly starving to death won't be pleasant and I sure...Jake wouldn't want you to die like this." Sandpaw muttered, her eyes lowering as she thought of the one who saved her.

The kit said nothing, only looking at her before bring her gaze to the mouse. She then swatted the mouse away with a hiss and Sandpaw watched it land near the far wall, blinking in amazement.

"You Clan cats have taken so much from me! You killed my father! You taken me from my home to keep me here against my will! You keep watch over me and others follow me like I'm prey to be caught! It's pathetic how low you've already brought me, my pride is all I have left and I refuse to bow down to likes of you!"

Sandpaw stared at her before gritting her teeth and stepped in the kit's face, her fur bristling to make her look twice her size. "Pathetic? You only think it's pathetic because you see us as lesser than yourself and you hate the fact that you are here now! You see it as pathetic because you were beaten by us and now have to face the fact that we haven't killed you yet! You are nothing but skin and bones, teetering on the edge of death and yet you say you have nothing but your pride? You're alive, aren't you?! Spottedleaf could have left you to die!"

"But you say your pride is all you have, well I'll tell you it won't mean much if you're dead! No one else to going to care for you, anyone else will kill you! So if you want to live, you best swallow your worthless pride and eat, you spiteful, arrogant, mange fur!" Sandpaw screeched the last words, panting at the end of it.

The kit stared at her, her green and purple gaze showing an unknown emotion as Sandpaw glared back at her, for once not feeling the ensnaring sensation as she did when looking at the demon before. The kit...then started laughing, her whole body shaking from it.

"You...you would have made a interesting demon, Clan cat!" she howled loudy before calming herself after a few minutes. She then stared right in Sandpaw's eyes, and the apprentice felt like she was suddenly falling. "Fine. I'll dance in your palm. I...I don't want to die, so I will humor you for now. But...when I get my strength back...if you talk to me like that again, I'll kill you!"

Sandpaw flattened her ears at that and hissed, not feeling an once of fear. "And if you do, I won't hold back either."

Spottedleaf watched all of this with a thoughtful smirk and left Sandpaw to it. She could sense that there was no danger now. The kit was going to behave herself. Perhaps, there would be no more need for bloodshed. A good thing too, she was getting tired of the kit's blood in her mouth. The taste of it made it hard to keep herself in check.


	6. Decision

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw's wounds continued to heal and in that time, she spent her days cooped up in the medicine den simply talking to the demon kit. She was a tough nut to crack, always arguing back but...in Sandpaw was honest, it was different, to say the least. There was a rawness to the kit that Sandpaw was sure none of her Clanmates had and listening her speak about her ways of doing things, while brutal had the apprentice hanging on every word.

"For us, to live is the same as to fight." the kit said, looking proud in her words and flexing her claws with a grin.

Sandpaw sighed while shaking her head, a small grin on her own on her muzzle. "Is there ever a time you don't fight?"

"Sleeping."came the curt answer, to which Sandpaw only grumbled, should have seen that coming.

While the pair talked, in Bluestar's den with her senior warriors, a different conversation was going on.

XxXx

"Bluestar, are you so sure it's wise to take in a demon?" Whitestorm asked, his tail twitching to and fro as his eyes shifted to the den entrance, he couldn't see the medicine den, but his thoughts were clear.

"It would be easier to keep an eye on her here than if she was out prowling the forest. Besides, if we can temper her, having a demon at our side would make for a great advantage to ThunderClan." Bluestar said, lowering her voice to an almost enticing degree.

"That may be true Bluestar," Lionheart cut in, looking thoughtful, his paws kneading the ground. "But there's still a risk. We might just end up going to to feed her. There is no guarantee that she would take to us. After all, she thinks that we are responsible for killing her father. Such anger and hatred is hard to control and the fact that she's a demon makes it even more so."

Bluestar looked from one tome to the other, seeing the different options of both. However she only closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. "What you are saying is true but...I have been watching her. Sandpaw seems to go along with her or at the very least the kit seems to tolerate her. If we go go by that, step by step, I think we can succeed. What do you think, Spottedleaf?"

The pretty tortoiseshell molly had been in her own world, listening but not saying anything. She looked over at Bluestar, careful to not look her directly in the eye as to not give away her secret. She tilted her head, her claws coming out as she scraped them along the sandy floor.

"I think...that she is a dangerous and uncontrollable force. But...like you, I believe there might be a chance to change her and mold her into our ways. She's still young and well, that might work to our favor. She doesn't know much else and well at the very least she knows that without us to provide for her, she'd starve. To keep oneself alive, that is often one of the greatest motivations."

Redtail, another tortoiseshell and the Clan deputy, narrowed his eyes as he looked from one molly to the other, sanding up as his tail lashed. "Keeping herself alive?! Is that truly the best we are going to do?! Bluestar, all of you, surely you can't be serious? This is a _demon!_ Surely you can't think of having such a black-hearted creature among our ranks? She won't think of us as Clanmates, there won't be any fellowship she would feel towards us. She'll only think of us as food! There's no way that such a foul, self centered, self-preservating monster could become one of us! We'll all be dead before newleaf!"

At his outburst, Spottedleaf slowly got to her paws, her claws staying out as she turned to face Redtail, her amber eyes glaring daggers at him and were like cold flints of steel digging into the tom's flesh. The green fleck in her left eye were unmistakable and Redtail suddenly felt it hard to breath. The other cats felt a chill in the air as the medicine cat stepped closer to her Clan deputy.

"Black-hearted? Foul creature? Redtail, those are some pretty harmful words you are using. You never know who could be listening and who can take offense. Demons...are something you know _nothing_ about. How they act, how they feel. How they can change for the better or ill. You say that she would only think of you as food, that she does not know fellowship, you know _nothing!_"

"You forget how strong they can be, how easy it is for them to crush little cats like you!" the molly intoned softly, getting closer to the tom, raising her claws to the male's neck, who only trembled and tried desperately to move but his body wouldn't obey him.

"Spottedleaf!" the powerful shout of Bluestar stopped the younger molly in her tracks and she turned to her leader, and the silver-blue female flinched and took a step back. Cod, ice cold fear rippled down her spine as she looked upon Spottedleaf, the younger Clan cat's muscles were rippling under her fur, ready to strike at any second. But it wasn't that which stayed Bluestar, such fury, such hatred in the other's eyes...It was enough to choke on yet the leader found she couldn't look away. She felt herself falling, falling, falling. Then Spottedleaf hissed and turned her head away and Bluestar felt herself able to breath again.

When Spottedleaf moved away, Redtail sunk to the ground, his whole body shaking. However, Bluestar kept her eyes on Spottedleaf and feeling her leader stare, the younger molly kept her head down.

The whole den was silent afterward and Bluestar mentally sighed before realizing that she would have to end this quickly. "Your views, _all_ of them, are to be considered. But I still think that this is the best course of action to take. Besides, the warrior code states that we should never turn away a kit that is in danger or in pain. Regardless if she is a demon or not. So, saying that, I've made my decision. That kit will join ThunderClan and will be made an apprentice!"

With that, the others then nodded and began to file out of the den, with Redtail giving Spottedleaf as wide of a berth as he could. Yet before the medicine cat could leave, Bluestar called her back. Spottedleaf hesitated before walking back, her head still lowered.

"You almost attacked Redtail." Bluestar stated, her voice firm yet quiet. Spottedleaf narrowed her eyes at that but said nothing, wrapping her tail tight around her paws. She only looked up when Bluestar stepped forward, allowing the leader to press her nose against the younger's forehead before going forward even more and gently nuzzling the younger cat and Spottedleaf, after a moment, accepted that kind gesture with a relived sigh.

"I'm sorry," she began but Bluestar gently cut her off.

"I know it's hard for you but please...you are all Clanmates. You must protect one another. Show Redtail and all that doubt you that you do understand fellowship, that you can have loyalty to more than yourself."

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I got caught up in somethings. Hope you enjoy this chapter~ Hopefully the next won't take as long to get up and on-site.**


	7. Apprentice

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Spottedleaf stayed with Bluestar for a few more moments, they had shared a few more words together but the medicine cat knew that she couldn't linger for too much longer. She had to had Redtail before he went on patrol.

It was easy to spot him, the deputy was sitting quietly near the camp entrance. He was alone. Good. Spottedleaf walked over to him and sat down beside him, the tom gave her a certain look before sighing and shaking his head. "What?"

"You sounded horrible. As if you were the worst of them trying to get the others to rally into a demon hunt. Mother would think you were full of self loathing. Why are you so against that kit joining us? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't like her but still, she has potential."

Redtail's eyes widened and for a moment where his claws shot out to dig in the dirt before he sighed and calmed himself. "That kit could ruin everything we strive to build. She knows only to feed herself and to think only of herself. It would only be a waste of time to try and teach her otherwise."

Spottedleaf scoffed and while she meant it to be playful, she cuffed the tom over the head a little harder than she meant. It earned her a hiss from Redtail who then pounced on her, knocking her on her back. The pair then stared at each other, amber eyes flashing with the same flecks on green sparking softly. Redtail's gaze lingered before he moved off the medicine cat and curled his tail over his paws.

"The Clan knows so little about demons, they hate them, us! They would kill us if they found out! Why risk everything for one who is clearly a lost cause? We were born in ThunderClan, we grew up beside these cats. We are _Clan _cats! That kit has nothing compared to us, it'll be a mistake to take her in."

Spottedleaf narrowed her eyes at that and hissed softly, her ears flat. "You're being no better than the Clan cats who shun us! Our mother would have your eyes if she was here to see you!"

"Well she's not here, so there's not much she can do," Redtail grumbled softly. "Look if you just came to yell at me..."

Spottedleaf then sighed and shook her head, her tail twitching in slight annoyance. "No...no. I just...don't like you saying such things about our fellow demons. Even if she is a pain, she doesn't deserve it. She deserves a chance, and she'll need all the help she can get to prove herself. Who knows, brother, maybe that kit might be the one to show that outsiders can be changed. It'll be hard, she'll have to give up eating cat flesh but...it's not impossible. You and I both know that."

"Hmph, yes. And I bet she'll be thrilled to know she could be like everyone else in the Clan." Redtail grumbled, staring ahead.

"You leave that to me," Spottedleaf answered. "Every demon lets to live that much longer. In order to survive, she'll learn to accept our ways."

"And if she doesn't?" Redtail asked, turning to look at his littermate, his eyes darkening as if he seemed to know what his sister was going to say.

"I'll kill her myself," Spottedleaf replied with no hesitation before getting up and heading back to her den.

"Well now, spoken like a true demon," Redtail said, just loud enough for Spottedleaf to hear, to which she laughed in merriment, her whole mood feeling a lot lighter.

XxXx

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting!" Bluestar's voice rang out among the ThunderClan camp where cats started to gather beneath a large rock where Bluestar stood. Beneath the rock, sitting calmly and staring into the forming crowd was the demon kit. Sandpaw was by her side, seeming a little less at ease. If her shuffling paws and twitching tail was any indication. Spottedleaf was sitting close by with Redtail staring at the kit intently.

"Please, don't ruin this for us." he muttered softly, flattening his ears.

When it looked like all the cats has amassed, Bluestar nodded to herself before opening her muzzle again.

"Cats of ThunderClan, a few days ago a demon kit has been found on our territory. She was alone and starving. The warrior code states that no warrior should neglect a kit in pain or in danger so she was brought she has fought and injured young Sandpaw, she shows a strong will and . So, I have decided to invite her to join ThunderClan."

As soon as she was finished talking, the Clan erupted into yowls of dismay and outrage, Spottedleaf, Redtail, Sandpaw, and few others all winced at the out pouring of rage from their Clanmates. The kit however, remained stoic, licking a forepaw to wash her face.

Sandpaw saw this and wondered how anyone could be so calm. From out of the crowd, one young warrior, Longtail, a pale furred tabby with dark stripes, stepped forward, looking up at Bluestar.

"To expect a demon to fight beside us, display loyalty to us, and to not eat us is impossible! She would have us all murdered before the night is through. Such a dangerous creature will never understand what it means to be a warrior!" he smirked as the Clan rallied to him, giving the kit a sneering grin.

Sandpaw tensed her shoulders, glaring lightly at Longtail. Her fur began to bristle and she was surprised to hear Spottedleaf give a hiss of annoyance. It only got worse as the young warrior continued to speak.

"We should save ourselves the trouble and kill her now! A demon can never be trusted!" He barely got the words out before he let out a yowl of pain as the kit lunged for him, tearing into his shoulder and spilling his blood on the hard packed ground. When she opened her jaws again she licked the blood from her lep with a sadistic smirk.

The smell of blood had both Spottedleaf and Redtail looking down, both closing their eyes. For them, even after all the time and with Spottedleaf in particular, the scent of fresh cat blood was just too alluring. Sandpaw felt a shiver go down her spine at the smell as her mouth went dry and shook her head in confusion. Where is this coming from? She was distracted from her thoughts as Longtail broke free and managed to slam the kit into the ground and crash his paws into her chest before raking his claws down to her belly.

Despite the weird feeling the scent of blood gave her, Sandpaw jumped to her paws, calling out to the kit. However before she could do anything, she felt someone grasp her tail and tug on it. Spottedleaf.

"It may be brutal to you, but trust me she can handle this. She must win this fight to prove herself to the Clan. It won't help her if you jump in."

"But-"Sandpaw protested, seeing the kit still getting clawed.

"Don't worry, she's tougher than you think. Just watch."

The kit was just able to get away from Longtail's claws and create some distance between them, panting for a moment while glaring at Longtail who stared back but soon fell into the trap from looking into her eyes. Surprising, the demon clamped her eyes shut and turned her head away. It took a moment, but Longtail got his wits back and when the kit opened her eyes to see that, only then did she attack.

Moving on, the tiny kit wrapped her forelegs around Longtail's neck, reaching up biting hard on his ear before leaping away. She did this again to leave deep scratches on Longtail's cheek before the male bucked her off and bit hard into her right hind leg. Hissing loudly, she scraped dust into Longtail's eyes, causing him to let go and for her to get a breather.

During the fight, Spottedleaf and Redtail watched with the deputy huffing softly. "She had strength and brutality but not much else. She's not a trained fighter. If this goes on, Longtail might be able to get around her."

"You must know that she hasn't eaten properly, Redtail. She's only as strong as an apprentice. If she had eaten right, Longtail wouldn't have lasted this long. Blood isn't enough, brother, you know that." Spottedleaf answered lowly, getting to her paws and narrowing her eyes.

Dashing forward now, the kit bashed into Longtail, biting into his neck and not letting go. Even after Longtail tried desperately running in tight circles, throwing his body to the ground and clawing at every inch of the demon kit, nothing worked. Eventually, Longtail felt his head going fuzzy and collapsed and only then did the kit let go. However she too fell to her side and was barely able to rise on her front paws when Bluestar jumped down from the rock and pressed her nose onto the battered kit's forehead.

"This kit has fought for her right to welcomed into ThunderClan and I grant it to her. This kit will train as an apprentice in ThunderClan!" As she spoke, sunlight shined down on the kit, lighting up her fur. Bluestar smirked at this. "You look like as fierce as fire in this light." she muttered before lifting her voice once more. "From this day forward until she has earned her warrior name, this young one will be known as Firepaw!"

**A/N: Soooo, I have been informed that Spottedleaf and Redtail are siblings, I was completely ignorant of this fact and tried to do damage control here. I'll admit, I am not the best at Recons and this will probably come off as sloppy. I also tried to explain Redtail's concerns that one reader pointed out to me. I hope I've done at least good enough that it doesn't seem too jarring. Please continue to enjoy, everyone and thank you.**


	8. Mounting Concerns

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

As Bluestar inducted Firepaw into the Clan, there was only halfhearted mutterings of acceptance from the Clan. Only Sandpaw, Spottedleaf, and even Redtail lifted their voices to welcome Firepaw.

Sandpaw rushed over to the new apprentice and nearly bowled her over, earning a soft hiss as the slightly older molly accidentally pressed into a few of her wounds. Sandpaw didn't seem to notice, once more she was taken in the smell of blood but managed to shake herself out of it.

"You did it, you won! Now your a true member of ThunderClan! Firepaw! What a great name! Heh, you sure did show Longtail a thing or two! I bet he'll never speak ill of you ever again!" she declared, watching as Longtail, after a few long moments, forced himself to his paws and staggered to the medicine den.

Spottedleaf watched him go and stood to follow but she and Redtail shared a look, both had Sandpaw's odd reaction to the smell of blood and both knew what could have meant. But Redtail in particular hoped that they both were wrong. Sandpaw might think badly of him, she always thought of herself as her own protector, that Redtail would think to shield her from anything, he know his kit would not be happy with it.

With a sigh, he then nodded to Spottedleaf, knowing that he would have to explain things sooner or later and he wasn't looking forward to it but knew it must be done.

"Right, soon." he muttered to himself before walking over to Firepaw and Sandpaw. "I'm sure you would want some rest after that fight. You did well to defend yourself, good job."

Firepaw grunted at the praise but at the same time, her tail curled showing that she was pleased with the other's words. She tired to pick herself up but her body only trembled and she stayed laying on her side. She growled at this and tried again with the same results.

Sandpaw saw her struggling and propped Firepaw up with her shoulder, at first the new apprentice growled at this but when Sandpaw growled back, her eyes flashed in mild amusement and she let the older molly help her. It wasn't the same for Spottdleaf as the flame furred demon gave her a glare to which the healer only smiled and led the way back to her den.

Longtail's eyes widened and he hissed loudly when Firepaw was settled a small distance away from him. The young demon openly ignored him, curling into a lose ball even as Longtail vowed vengeance for what the younger did to him.

"Next time, I'll eat you alive." Fiepaw threatened when she grew fed up with the male's ranting. It had the intended effect of shutting Longtail up, who then sulked in his nest as Spottedleaf tended to his wounds.

Sandpaw stayed by Firepaw's side, trying to help by licking her wounds, something that Firepaw uncurled for and surprisingly began to purr at, her eyes closed tightly. "Father..."

_'Did demons share tongues and looked after each other like this too?' _Sandpaw wondered even as the taste of blood lingered on her tongue, she didn't seem to mind.

Spottedleaf was watching out of the corner of her eye and huffed softly, like Redtail, the same thoughts were going through her head. This was not going to be something they wanted to explain.

Firepaw opened her eyes, not to see her father's large presence looming protectively over her but Sanpaw gazing down at her with worry and concern. The reality of it caused Firepaw to hiss at the paler molly and turn her back. Sandpaw, having heard the kit call out to her father, didn't take offense and only stooped down to nuzzle her fellow apprentice. She did feel sorry for her, imagine losing a father, she wouldn't know what she would do without Redtail.

While Sandpaw stayed by Firepaw's side, who merely went into a doze thinking about her father, Spottedleaf finished tending to Longtail to look over the fire furred molly. Smirking at how Sandpaw was to her, the medicine nonetheless shooed her slightly away so she could do her job.

Now wrapped in cobwebs and a few healing poultices, Spottedleaf then went off to gather a few herbs she needed. "Would you mind staying with her a little longer? I'll be back soon enough." Spottedleaf asked Sandpaw, to which the pale ginger cat smiled a bit and nodded her head.

"Don't worry, she'll be safe with me!" she proclaimed, to which Spottedleaf purred softly and then left her den.

XxXx

Once outside the camp, Spottedleaf broke into a run, heading for Sunningrocks, a pile of stones that many a ThunderClan cat liked to use to sun themselves on and leapt to the top of the gray stones, staring out into the forest around her.

She then sat, thinking, licking a paw and drawing it over her ear as thoughts crowded her head. She had to get away, the scent of blood, from Firepaw to Longtail was getting to be too much.

Spottedleaf shook her head, just how many times would she be able to do this before some cat figured it out? She, Redtail and a few others had managed to avoid being found out but how long before things began to unravel? They couldn't keep relying on Bluestar to cover their tracks, something was going to happen. And then there was Sandpaw.

It seemed like her demon self was beginning to surface if her reaction to fresh blood being spilled and her closeness with Firepaw was any indication. Now the only thing to was find a way to explain this all to Sandpaw. Spottedleaf's ears twitched when she heard a rustle in the bushes and saw Redtail pushing his way through.

The two siblings shared a quick look before the tortoiseshell tom joined her on the rocks. "Thinking of Sandpaw?" he asked her and when Spottedleaf sighed and nodded, he hummed in agreement.

"I'm not sure what to do or what to tell her. Sandpaw thinks that she is an ordinary cat. I thought that she might have been safe, it took so long for her to show any signs that she shared any of my bloodline, I thought she would be "normal". Oh Spottedleaf, what would she think of me, what would the Clan think of her? They might just reject her."

"Bluestar won't let that happen, brother. You know that." Spottedleaf reassured, twining her tail with his. However Redtail was still looking pensive, shaking his head in worry.

"That may be but we can't put our lives on the paws of one cat. We'll have to think of something soon, Spottedleaf. I think...I think I'm going to tell her...tomorrow night."

Spottedleaf nuzzled her brother, rubbing her head under his chin. "It'll be okay...if you want, I be there with you." Redtail sighed at that, letting a small purr.

"Thank you, sister. What would I do without you?"


	9. Loss of Control

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories  


Spottedleaf and Redtail continued to watch the forest, listening to the leaves rustles in the trees and hearing the gentle running of the river nearby. The siblings, in this brief moment, were able to forget their worries and just...be. Spottedleaf herself took in a long calming breath before leaning against her brother and Redtail purred, giving his sister a quick lick on the ear.

However their peace was broken when a few fox-lengths away from them, there are heavy crashing and muttered curses drifting towards them. The pair got to their paws and jumped from Sunningrocks, stalking towards the rustling bush before suddenly, Spottedleaf was jumped on by a burly grayish brown tom with the scent of RiverClan coming off him in waves. He had dropped a rabbit as he attacked and it was clear he was stealing prey. Redtail whipped his head around to help her when his leg was caught and he was dragged back by a dark gray molly who also smelled like the water loving Clan. He turned and used his claws against, scratching her deeply above her eye before following it up with a vicious bite to the shoulder.

The young looking cat yowled then struggled away, Redtail watched her go with a snort. He turned to see Spotteleaf still tussling with the burly warrior but saw her holding her own good enough. He watched for a moment as the medicine cat got out of his claws with a harsh swipe across his muzzle before gaining some distance, moving to stand with her brother.

She was careful to not look him directly in the eyes, not only so that he won't be entranced by her but also because she didn't want the fight to end too soon. The blood roaring in her ears, the feel of her claws tearing into fur and flesh as well as her fangs driving deep into this cat's body, Spottedleaf wanted more of it! It couldn't end with this cat falling into a void, she wouldn't allow it!

With a loud hiss, Spottedleaf ran forward, her claws outstretched when three more RiverClan warriors jumped from the bushes and crashed into her and she went down in a writhing mass of fur. Redtail gritted teeth at that and rushed forward, dashing forward and hauling one of the warriors into the trees above them. Slamming the cat, a tom, into the stout truck, Redtail readied his claws and scored them down over and over into his flesh before dashing away into another bough of branches.

The RiverClan tom regained himself but looked down nervously at the tree branch, he had heard of how ThunderClan used the trees to their advantage to the point where they almost seemed to fly through the trees. He hesitated a second too long and Redtail was upon him again, biting deep into his shoulder and clawing at his face close to his eye. The tom tried to get away but stumbled and fell hard on the ground below. He lay stunned for a long moment before he slowly picked himself up and staggered away, moaning in pain.

Redtail was breathing hard now, his claws digging into the bark. He had a sadistic grin on his muzzle and his eyes, usually calm and collected, were filled with a harsh, unhinged light. He had swallowed a fair bit of blood and as he watched the RiverClan tom limp away, he bunched his muscles, ready to follow and...put the poor cat out of his misery. After all, wasn't he hurt badly, such pain would be too hard to bear. Redtail was only going to help end his pain.

His thoughts shifted when he heard Spottedleaf cry out, and he turned to see his sister pinned by the gray-brown warrior and a smaller cat, an apprentice. Spottedleaf was being pinned by the gray-brown warrior and the apprentice was biting at her foreleg. Just when Redtail was going to help his sister, Spottedleaf managed to bite into the warrior's muzzle and hold onto him, even as he screamed and tried to get away.

Even as she was biting the warrior, Spottedleaf used her hind legs to gore into the apprentice, tearing hard into her belly. Redtail came to help by biting at her ear and yanking hard, nearly tearing it off while his claws dug deep into her neck. And while none wasn't aware of it just yet, the wounds Spottedleaf and Redtail gave would be much too deep for any recovery to be possible.

Finally, the RiverClan warrior tore himself away from Spottedleaf and rushed off, yowling. The apprentice too, feeling beaten tried to wobble away but she soon collapsed, breathing hard. Blood was pooling rapidly under her and the scent of it filled the forest. Spottedleaf got to her paws and looked over to the apprentice but even thought the medicine was bloody and pain sparked with every step, she walked over to the young cat.

She was barely breathing now and Redtail was now at her side, staring down on the dying cat. Yet like her brother, in her eyes there was no sympathy or care for the weakening cat...only cold detachment and...hunger.

As the apprentice took her last breaths, Spottedleaf and Redtail stared at her, a brief moment of horror at what they had done. But soon it was replaced once more by indifference and sudden actual hunger. There was a body, nice and warm, just big enough for them to share. The two half demons only held out for a heartbeat more before falling on the body, savaging it to get the soft organs and cooling blood.

Bones were snapped, fur was torn, and blood was smeared into the ground as Redtail and Spottedleaf gave into their monstrous hunger. The fattest mouse, the juiciest rabbit could not compare to this one meal they shared, Spottedleaf ate the liver with relish while Redtail sated himself kidneys. The lungs they each took one of when the intestines they devoured separately. When it came time to consume the heart, Spottedleaf flattened her ears, but gave it to her brother after much thought in return for helping her with her fight. Redtail purred and rubbed his head against her cheek, a flash of tender, genuine care was clear in the action. The heart was most prized and delicious part to a demon and to give it to someone else was a mark of devoted affection to them.

"Next time, you can have the heart." he promised, twining his tail with hers.

Soon there was little left of the apprentice save for a few scraps of fur and the bloody stain in the earth where she died. Spottedleaf and Redtail then spent time grooming one another, purring together softly as new strength filled them and drove their thoughts. The apprentice was a good enough meal but...how _long _ had it been? The taste of cat flesh and blood still lingered heavily in their mouths, the pair was practically drooling. Perhaps...it would be okay to try and see if they could pick off that warrior that dropped from the tree. Redtail was sure that with his injuries, he hadn't made it back to RiverClan yet. He proposed his plan to Spottedleaf, who smiled and got to her paws, the pain of her wounds leaving her in prospect of a feast.

"Next time, I'll bring Sandpaw too. She's never known how delicious cat flesh can be." Redtail exclaimed, to which Spottedleaf chuckled, adding her own thoughts. "Yeah, we'll have to look for a nice plump cat, only the best for our kin!" The pair then went off, eager to find that RiverClan tom, their hunger not yet sated.

**A/N: Well, this has bad written all over it. Redtail and Spottedleaf has gone so long without eating cats that they just can't help themselves. They tried being good warriors, cats of the Clan, but they can't fight who they are. Sooner or later they were bound give in...Poor things...And it's only going to get worse.**


	10. Seeds of Doubt

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

They had found the RiverClan tom, he tried to run to the river, tried to get away but was caught by the two half demon siblings. Like the apprentice before him, very little of his body was left, only a few bits of fur and blood flowing into the water close to them. Spottedleaf and Redtail, having acquired a bigger meal, finally felt full for the first time in ages. The pair, having gone so long without truly full bellies, curled up together and fell asleep on RiverClan's side of the border.

It was moonhigh when Redtail woke up, the small tom looked around the dark forest, his gaze unreadable. He then turned to Spottedleaf, still seeing her sleeping and nudged her awake. "Get up. We have to go."

Spottedleaf grumbled while getting into a sitting position, turning her head to the sounds of the river behind them. She then looked down on the scraps of fur and sniffed them, letting out a wicked smile.

"I can still feel strength flowing through me, if only...if only we could eat like this more often...we'd be stronger...we'd even be as big as-"

She was cut off by a hiss from Redtail, who was staring at the undergrowth in front of them and flattened his ears, letting out a loud growl to which Spottedleaf got to her paws and copied her brother.

The undergrowth waved and parted to reveal a truly massive dark brown tabby tom, his stripes looked as he was coated with the shadows themselves. His eyes widened for a moment when seeing them and then they drifted down to the bits of fur littering the ground while taking in their scent. He only smiled.

"Well, well." he purred, the sound of it rumbling through the forest. "It seems like you two finally decided to have a bit of fun and treat yourself, I'm happy for you."

Redtail slowly relaxed and after a moment, so did Spottedleaf and the pair joined in with the purring, moving to affectionately butt heads with the tabby who playfully cuffed them and the trio engaged in a short but happy play-fight in the trees.

Settling on a wide enough branch that all three of them could relax on, Redtail spoke first, though his voice was completely calm.

"Has anyone gone searching for us, nephew?" The tabby only snorted, rolling his eyes.

"A stupid question, you're the deputy, Redtail. And Spottedleaf is the medicine cat, of course you would be missed! Bluestar has been out all day looking for you, though I'm not sure how she missed you if you were sleeping this whole time."

"When a mind gets too worried, it tends to miss some obvious things. Plus, we smelled like RiverClan, so I'm sure that helped. What were you doing out here, Tigerclaw? I can't believe you were actually worried about us, you know we can keep ourselves out of trouble...for the most part."

The tabby, Tigerclaw, chuckled and once more playfully cuffed Redtail who then acted by gently biting the tabby's paw. "Well, other that, how are you two feeling? It's been so long since I've seen either of you eat cat flesh."

Redtail and Spottedleaf both looked at each then Tigerclaw, like them, he was half demon. In his left amber eye was flecks of brillant blue. There was no need to hide from him, but even though hours had passed, the hunger and sadistic glee that had awakened from their demon blood had not diminished yet. It wouldn't for a while.

"Aye, it has and the taste of those RiverClan cats was delicious! Seems like there's some merit to them eating fish!" Redtail said, purring as he remembered the taste, his tail curling.

Spottedleaf smiled and nodded, looking back towards the river, her eyes gleaming with hunger. "If only we could have one more taste. Just one, then it'll be perfect."

Tigerclaw chuckled, shaking his head. "It's nice to have you two back! I missed you so much! But as much as I'd love to go hunting with you, we need to get back to ThunderClan. Bluestar will probably chew your ears off for being away this long." He looked to start leading them away before snickering to himself. "But then, why not make her wait? What can she do? She is only a cat. Why shouldn't we do what we want?"

Those words broke briefly through the haze and both Spottedleaf and Redtail gave Tigerclaw a wary glance.

"Bluestar and even Sunstar, both have been good to us. Most leaders would have killed us the day we were born if they knew we were demons. They spared us and allowed us to stay in their Clan. We have to be loyal to them."

Tigerclaw shook his head and sighed, his tail twitching. "Yes, we swore our loyalty and what does it get us?" he whispered softly, bowing his head. "Fear and anger, we watch them drive off other demons or see them gang on one because they know they can't beat us single pawed! If they found out we were demon, even half demons, they would stop at nothing to kill us!"

"So what's wrong with eating them, it's only fair! You starve yourselves for their sake! Your bodies are stunted and small because you pretend to be like them! And for what?! Nothing! We should all ban together and drive _them_ out! We are stronger than any forest cat in this forest. We shouldn't have to hide and weaken ourselves for them!"

"No, nephew! Compassion, understanding. _That_ is what will make them see. We don't eat cat flesh because we want to prove that we are not a danger to them, to show that we can be trusted. So that if we are revealed, they will see all that we have done to prove ourselves loyal Clanmates." Spottedleaf argued, digging her claws into the bark. But then she remembered the taste of the RiverClan cats' blood and meat in her mouth and she shivered, flattening her ears.

Tigerclaw saw this too and his eyes softened, moving to nuzzle his aunt. "See, this is what I'm talking about, this is torture. Wrong! We shouldn't be forced to do this to ourselves. It's not fair and it only hurts us! Listen to me, both of you. I go hunting in the Twolegplace for cats. Let me bring you some food. Your bodies will finally have the chance to grow bigger and stronger. I don't want to see you weak like this anymore."

Redtail leaned forward, pressing his muzzle into Tigerclaw's shoulder. "No, Tigerclaw, you mustn't do that. We must show Bluestar and the rest of the Clan that we can be trusted. You must stop eating cats as well, I know you want to be loyal to your Clan."

However, Tigerclaw shook him off and sat, looking hurt. He lowered his head, Tigerclaw closed his eyes, wishing his aunt and uncle understood.

The three cats then leapt through the trees, the darkness hiding them from view until they got into their own territory. Too wrapped up in their conversation to noticed a cat scowling up at them before slipping quietly into the river...

XxXx

Redtail and Spottedleaf were sitting with their heads bowed as Bluestar paced in front of them inside her den. Almost as soon as they came into camp, they were spotted by the leader and she demanded they go to her den immediately.

Tigerclaw was sent on a late night patrol for seeming a little too pleased with seeing Bluestar in distress but the tabby complied, merely shrugging. Though as Bluestar turned her back, Tigerclaw did snap his jaws at her, narrowing his eyes then heading off to complete his patrol.

"Have you two lost your minds?! Killing RiverClan cats?! And you even admit to eating two of them?! You vowed to never do such a thing, to prove to your leader that you are loyal to ThunderClan. I won't be able protect you if you are found out! The Clans hate and fear demons! How do you think they would feel to know that a few of their Clanmates are lying to them and could possibly turn on them?!"

The siblings' moment of clarity was gone now and they sat staring broodingly at their paws, not answering. Perhaps...perhaps Tigerclaw was right. Perhaps there was no hope in getting the Clan to accept them. Bluestar was ready to rake their ears off and they hadn't even hurt one of their own Clanmates.

"If we beat them on a fight, our _Clanmates_ won't be attack us again." Spottedleaf growled out the word Clanmate, glaring lightly at Bluestar. "We have served you loyally for many moons. We made one error and you seem ready to turn us out. How is that fair?"

"We haven't eaten a single cat in many, many moons but that seems unimportant to you right now. Do you see us as dangerous, mindless beasts? Well, do you?" Redtail growled, standing up now. Yet before Bluestar could answer, the pair rushed out of her den.

Sandpaw came out just in time to see her father and aunt go and tried calling out to them but they ignored her. Sandpaw sat down, feeling a wave of unease wash over her.

**A/N: Sorry for wait on this chapter. Life just got in the way. I hope this chapter works to shed a little light on certain things about demons, like how they can pretty much go un-noticed in a Clan when one of their major characteristics was being a huge size. Tigerclaw's personality is much different from his book counterpart, but he will still follow the same path just with...very different results and feelings on the matter.**


	11. Dark Rally

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

As the pair ran through the darkened forest, they ran into Tigerclaw. The tabby male turned from sniffing at a spruce to give them his attention. He can tell from the scowls on their faces that whatever happened was not good. He went to gently headbutt them both, his gaze sympathy but also serious. They then started to walk together, their fur brushing together in familial affection.

"I'm guessing Bluestar nearly clawed your ears off," he growled softly, digging his claws into the dirt. "Even after all you've done, she doesn't trust you! We should ban together, drive them out! There's just enough of us send them all running! Or were you thinking of using them for prey? We could live a bit easier during leaf-bare if we did."

Spottedleaf hissed at her nephew, baring her fangs. She was starting to come away from the hunger and thirst for blood. She gave Tigerclaw a stern look, moving in front of him to block his path. "No!" she growled firmly before softening her voice slightly to the younger demon's somewhat hurt expression. "No, Tigerclaw. To do that would only make them fear demons more. The Clan cats outnumber us, while we could fight, even we would be outmatched. Remember, you said it yourself, we are weakened, it wouldn't take much to kill us."

Tigerclaw scowled at that, turning his head away. "Anything would be better than hiding like mice! We could change things! We can become strong, then none of us would have to fear the Clans knowing of us!"

"You're thinking too recklessly!" Redtail snarled, harsher than he intended, making Tigerclaw flinch back. The deputy wanted to take it back, comfort him but he then realized being forceful was the only way to make his nephew understand. "What you're saying is traitorous to the Clan! If you keep going on like this, I'll have to tell Bluestar!"

Tigerclaw stopped walking, glaring lightly at his uncle but flattened his ears in a show of remorse. "So, it's looks like you've chosen where you stand." he then turned around, heading back to the camp. Spottedleaf tried to follow him but Redtail held her back, shaking his head.

"Leave him for now. I know how he feels, he's only thinking of giving us a better life in the Clan. He will understand in time."

Spottedleaf gave her brother a certain look before turning to where Tigerclaw vanished. "Are you sure? I understand too but I can also see this turning into something very bad."

Redtail pressed his nose against his sister's in an effort to calm her. "Don't worry, nothing will happen. I will look after him."

XxXx

Tigerclaw slipped back into ThunderClan camp and headed for the warriors' den, he poked his head inside and looked around, searching for a few certain warriors. He then saw Willowpelt sleeping next to her brother, Patchpelt and shook them both awake. He did the same to Lionheart and Goldenpelt. Once done with that, he went to the apprentice's den and roughly shook his apprentice, Ravenpaw, awake and looked to stare at Sandpaw before deciding against waking her. A pang of concern went through him, she was his cousin, but she didn't know anything.

When word got out, would she hate Redtail for not telling her the truth? His uncle was a noble one, and Tigerclaw knew the bond they shared was deep and loving. No, he didn't want to break that. He would say quiet, for now. He would be there to help his cousin later.

His gaze then shifted to the molly apprentice sleeping next to her and he stiffened, that orange fur, it looked just like-. No! Tigerclaw shook his head, it couldn't be. There was more than one flame colored cat in the forest. She couldn't be related to him...Could she?

Snorting softly, he retreated and looked at the tiny mass of cats. He had debated on going to the elder's den but thought against it. It wasn't that he didn't think they could fight, even in old age, half demons kept their strength for far longer, it had more to do with letting them rest. They fought their battles, it was time to give them peace.

With a flick of his tail he gathered the warriors and the apprentice to a shaded spot in the camp and bent his head close to them, whispering just loud enough for them to hear.

"Listen to me, Redtail and Spottedleaf were reprimanded by Bluestar for killing and eating RiverClan cats! Those two have been loyal members of this Clan for many moons, Bluestar had not right to get mad at them. Doing what they did makes them stronger, if we follow them, we could be stronger! Aren't you tired of living in fear of what these cats could do to us? We train and fight with them, but they still scorn demons and think of all of us like monsters! What do you think will happen if they find out who we are? We must be prepared! I know a place swarming with cats, enough to feed you all! We will be able to defend ourselves, if the needs arises."

After he was done speaking, Lionheart stepped forward, in the bottom his left green eye was a blaze of blue. He was a full demon, as such he was truly massive, even bigger than Tigerclaw. But like the rest of the demons in the Clan, his enforced diet left him slightly small and Tigerclaw thought that he could have grown to be even bigger if given the chance.

He looked at Tigerclaw with understand in his eyes but at the same time, they were dark with concern. "I understand you, Tigerclaw. I understand that you want to lead us to a be a Clan that is strong and powerful, one that can be safe from threats outside but more importantly inside. But if Redtail is any indication, then I think you are wrong. If there was no trust, then why would Bluestar pick him as deputy?"

Tigerclaw lashed his tail and rose to his full height, though he was still somewhat smaller than Lionheart. "You're deluding yourself into thinking the whole Clan trusts us! Bluestar, Sunstar! You can't put your trust and lives in just two, now one cat's paws! You'll be dead in no time!"

The tabby half demon then marched forward a couple of steps and jerked his head to the dens, narrowing his eyes to the group. "If you, any of you think that, why not go to your Clanmates and announce your demons to them? Well, go on. Prove it to me."

No one moved. Even Lionheart took a step back. Tigerclaw bared his fangs and nodded to this, going to join them again. "You can either hide like mice or fight with me like the warriors you say you are. It's your choice."

The assembled demons and half demons all looked at each other, mumbling but before they could make a decision, Redtail and Spottedleaf came dashing through the camp, battered and bloody.

"RiverClan warriors! Loads of them! Taking our prey and invading our territory!"

**A/N: Now it starts, Into the Wild proper. It only 11 chapters but I thank you all for your patience and I hope that I could entertain you all going forward.**


	12. Battle of Sunningrocks pt 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Tigerclaw and the others gathered before Spottedleaf and Redtail, drawn to them by the smell of of blood and also worry. Lionheart was breathing hard through his mouth and his claws scraped against the hard pack ground of the camp but he managed to keep his cool.

"We need to alert Bluestar, whatever the cause, we still have to defend our camp!" he growled before nodding to Willowpelt who went to do just that.

Bluestar didn't take long to rouse and swiftly took action when notified of what was going on and selected Willowpelt, Longtail, Tigerclaw, Whitestorm, Runningwind, Mousefur, Redtail and after a thought added Ravenpaw to the patrol to drive back the RiverClan force.

Ravenpaw, a skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest and a white tail tip, seemed to look up in disbelief at this decision. Bluestar wanted him to go? The ThunderClan leader saw his surprise and smiled at him before walking over to him and pressing her muzzle onto his forehead. "You are a fine apprentice, wise and strong of heart. I know you will preform well in this battle. Have faith in your strength, young Ravenpaw."

Her words seemed to put courage into his eyes and the black tom closed his eyes, nodding to her. "I won't let you down. Thank you, Bluestar."

Bluestar nodded then stepped back to have a few last minute words with her deputy. Tigerclaw soon stepped up to Ravenpaw and the black cat looked down, there was power in Tigerclaw's whole being and the younger cat felt intimated by it. However his mentor only reached out and gave him a somewhat rough cuff on the chin.

"Don't worry, Ravenpaw. I'll look after you," he muttered gruffly, giving his apprentice an awkward nudge. Ravenpaw looked up at his mentor and nodded.

Bluestar was speaking with Redtail, he was the one who insisted he go with the battle patrol, he wanted to put paid for what RiverClan did to him and his sister. "These wounds are nothing, Bluestar! I can still fight! I will show RiverClan that they can't just invader land and steal our prey!"

"Go with the ferocity of fire, Redtail and came back to me in one piece! All of you!" Bluestar commanded, looking at her deputy with faith in her eyes, her earlier displeasure at him and Spottedleaf gone.

Redtail nodded and let out a yowl, rallying the others to him. Yet before he left, Sandpaw came running, nearly bumping into his side in her mad dash to make it to her father.

"Papa! Papa, wait! Please!" Sandpaw looked at her father's bleeding body and bit lightly on his tail, gently pulling him back. "Please don't go, papa! You're hurt, let Tigerclaw or Whitestorm take the lead. Stay here, please don't go out there! Please!"

Redtail smiled and gently pulled his tail away, turning to nuzzled Sandpaw tenderly. "Oh my dear Sandpaw, do not worry. I will see you again. I won't die in this battle, I can't. There's...there's something I have to tell you, something important...You need to know. So before then I won't die. I'll come back to you, I promise." Redtail licked his daughter's cheek then turned to lead the patrol out. Sandpaw followed until they reached the top of the ravine and watched until the shadows swallowed them up and she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore.

Sandpaw stood there for a few moments more before finally turning back, heading to the medicine den. Spottedleaf was licking her wounds and looked troubled, she glanced up when her niece came in and she got into a sitting position. Sandpaw looked at her aunt's wounds and walked over to her, once more drawn to the scent of blood. She started to lick at her, telling herself over and over me mentally that it was just to help Spottedleaf. The medicine cat realized what was happening but stayed quiet, she knew that this was something Redtail wanted to do on his own.

"Redtail is a strong warrior, he will return to us. We'll need him. I feel like there is a dark cloud coming to ThunderClan." Spottedleaf muttered, making Sandpaw look up and tilt her head.

"A dark cloud?" she repeated, frowning. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure Redtail can handle it!" she replied, having utter faith in her father.

Spottedleaf smiled at this and nodded, though part of her was still worried and on edge. "Yes, I'm sure you're right."

XxXx

Redtail and the rest of his forces stayed watching the nearby river in the undergrowth. They could smell the RiverClan cats poised not too far away. They all shifted and waited for the signal from their deputy before Redtail narrowed his eyes and gave a sweeping motion of his tail, signaling his cats to attack. RiverClan cats surged forward and soon Sunningrocks was filled with battling warriors.

Redtail was fighting with a strong RiverClan molly, her pale silvery-blue fur had him thinking that he had seen her before when she clawed at his face and bit hard into his throat. Blood ran down his fur as he scratched hard at her face but no matter what he did, she wouldn't let go. Redtail glared at her and his eyes widened when he saw flecks of gold in of her left eye.

However, he didn't have time to ponder that as Willowpelt came and rushed the molly, tackling into her and sending both of them tumbling nearly into the river. Redtail slowly got to his feet and hissed, going to Willowpelt's side as the RiverClan molly dived into the water. The two demons scanned the water, on edge and it was Redtail who spotted the rippled, just a second later before the enemy molly burst from the water and launched herself at them.

Redtail pushed Willowpelt out of the way and took the attack himself, getting his shoulders and neck ripped into. Shutting his eyes tight against the pain, Redtail tried to ignore it while fighting the molly off. Willowpelt bit into the RiverClan's warrior's leg while clawing at her side and with this, Redtail slashed at her muzzle.

With a frustrated growl, the riverClan warrior broke free and fled, swimming back towards her own territory. Redtail stumbled out of the water with Willowpelt's help and took a second to breath. "G-Go. Help the others, this fight is still not won, don't worry about me!" The gray warrior hesitated before nodding, leaping into the fray with a yowl.

Redtail stayed panting, before raising to his paws shakily. Blood oozed from his wound, but new and old and he felt light headed. As he tried to gather himself, he realized something. The smell of blood seemed sweeter, the cry of cats sounded enticing and...and...

Redtail smiled to himself, so what if he was bleeding and battered? There were many cats here who would suffer far worse. Of course, he would tear apart this water loving fools for harming him and his fellow demons. His fangs were sharp, his claws ready to kill. This battle wasn't over yet, he would make sure of it!

**A/N: Whoo! Two chapters in one day! I am on a roll! Looks like Redtail is losing it once again, that is not a good sign. Let's hope the rest of ThunderClan's demons can keep it together! We'll find out soon enough, until then, please enjoy~**


	13. Battle of Sunningrocks pt 2

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Tigerclaw was battling two Riverclaw warriors at once but unlike Willowpelt and Redtail's earlier fight, he was fighting against two regular cats. The big warrior hissed, baring his fangs. He swipe out hard with the long claws that gave him his name and he sent one of the RiverClan cats screeching to the river. His companion looked towards his retreating companion in disbelief before Tigerclaw lunged at him, pinning him heavily beneath his mighty paws.

He was about to deliver a crushing bite when he suddenly heard Longtail screaming for Redtail to stop. Stop what? Tigerclaw looked up, forgetting about his opponent when he caught a glimpse of Redtail dragging a RiverClan molly by her neck, his paws and body soaked in blood as he glared around the battlefield.

Tigerclaw's eyes widen as he saw Redtail lower the molly, only to drive his fangs in deeper and kill her. With bloodied jaws, the ThunderClan deputy flung his head, yowling to the skies. "Don't be afraid anymore! Kill! Kill them all! Get them! Eat them all alive!"

The RiverClan warriors stopped fighting, staring at Redtail with mounting fear and confusion before Willowpelt and Goldenflower charged into two of them, savaging them and bringing the opposing warriors down with vicious energy. This, along with Redtai's cry seemed to spur the other demons of ThunderClan on.

The scent of blood and the cries of the dying soon filled the air. RiverClan warriors seemed to sense that something was very wrong and began to edge to the river, but they weren't the only ones...

Ravenpaw, the only apprentice, got swept up from Redtail's cry and seeing his fellow demons carve into the enemy made him forgot his worry and he jumped into the fray, slashing and biting anyone who got too close. He was injured in retaliation but the young half demon felt no pain. Only hunger.

The skinny apprentice nearly crashed into a RiverClan warrior tom, who glared at him and Ravenpaw, feeling no fear and only a deep yawning hunger in his belly, glared back. The older and bigger tom's eyes widened and he felt his mind slipping as Ravenpaw walked closer to him, his left eye sporting flecks of light purple. Something was wrong, why couldn't he move his legs? Why wouldn't his body obey him?

Wait... That look in that apprentice's eyes... Could he be? "D-Demon!" His cry was cut short, the RiverClan tom was soon gurgling on his own blood as Ravenpaw bit harder and harder into his throat while clawing at his eyes.

However, his job was job as his last fearful shout was heard and though their fur shook and their eyes were wide with building terror, there was something else building within the RiverClan invaders. Hatred.

With a yowl, the RiverClan cats controlled their fear as best they could and charged headlong into the ThunderClan forces. They broke into teams, two RiverClan cats for each demon. The results were mixed. For Ravenpaw, his smaller and younger body proved a problem, he felt the enemy's claws a lot harder than his older fellow demons, but soon enough, his hunger and bloodthrist urged him on and he broke free, clawing and biting while running towards someone who could help. Lionheart.

The large warrior had blood on his muzzle, blood in his mouth. He was trembling with the effort to not swallow and give in to his rising hunger. How long had it been since he tasted _real_ blood before? He had briefly fallen into a haze and when he woke up, the warrior he was fighting had such horrible wounds, much more devastating than any warrior should have sustained, along with a horribly bent back leg. Did he break that cat's leg?

Lionheart was wounded too, in many places, but he moved without feeling them at all. They barely stung to him. Shaking his head to try and clam himself, he then heard Redtail's cry go out. He knew what Redtail wanted him to do but...could he really just throw away everything that he worked for?

When he saw Ravenpaw getting chased by RiverClan warriors he pushed the thought to the side. A wave of protectiveness was washing over him and the big warrior beckoned the youngster closer before placing his body in front of the oncoming threat, baring his fangs.

Lionheart's eyes lit up when he saw Longtail and Mousefur running up behind the pair and raised his tail in thanks but then Longtail dashed off to the side, coming up behind Lionheart and then hooking his claws into Ravenpaw's fur, dragging him down and scratching viciously at the black apprentice's side.

"Longtail, stop! What are you doing?" Lonheart turned his head away from the RiverClan and from the incoming Mousefur and was jumped by all three.

The two RiverClan cats Lionheart fought off, his claws cutting deeper than any Clan cat had have been able to into their flesh. One ran off for his territory howling pain while the other thudded to the ground, dead. No! He hadn't meant to strike the warrior that hard! But smelling the blood that spilled and feeling his claws tear fatally into the enemy, Lionheart let out a breath, his eyes nearly closing. His whole demeanor was starting to change, but he still tried to hang on. Mousefur had been spooked by this and backed away yet she still stood, poised to attack.

"I saw what you did to that RiverClan warrior! Those wounds...they were far worse than what any cat should do. And...And your body, you have injuries all over! But...but you don't act like your hurt...and neither does Ravenpaw! I saw you both! Lionheart...you and Ravenpaw..you have to be demons!" the young warrior shouted, causing those close by to look up in fright, a few were ThunderClan cats who raced away, shouting the news.

"Yes...we are. But what does that matter? We hunted together, trained together! We would never hurt you! Longtail, let go of Ravenpaw. I swear, I won't tell Bluestar anything! Just let Ravenpaw go."

"No, ThunderClan has to drive out monsters like you! We can't let our Clan be devoured!" Longtail snarled, his claws digging hard into Ravenpaw, one dangerously close to his eye.

It was just as Tigerclaw said. ThunderClan would turn on them. Lionheart opened his eyes fully, glaring straight at Longtail who fell instantly into dark void. He couldn't react when Lionheart raked his claws across his face, sending him crashing to the ground. He had to protect Ravenpaw!

Mousefur tried jumping on Lionheart's back, spurred by the other's confession and his action towards Longtail. She tried biting on the demon male's shoulder but it did little to make Lionheart react as he simply turned his head toward the molly and grabbed her hard by the scruff, throwing her hard on the ground with a sickening thud.

He followed this up with slicing Mousefur's shoulder open, down to the bone and nearly causing her to pass out from the pain alone. Seeing how she was barely able to stay conscious, Lionheart turned to Longtail, swiping his body further from Ravenpaw and helping the apprentice up.

"Come Ravenpaw. We must help our brothers." Lionheart growled softly, as he looked out on the battlefield. As a full blooded demon, even starving as he is, his vision was leagues above even the most eagle eyed Clan cat. The fight had shifted, now RiverClan and ThunderClan had joined together to rid themselves of the demon threat.

Redtail stood with Willowpelt as the pair were surrounded by ThunderClan and RiverClan, Lionheart and Ravenpaw couldn't reach them in time before they were swarmed by the mass of cats. Still, they had to help. Tigerclaw was runing towards them too, his eyes stretched in disbelief. It wasn't supposed to be this way!

ThunderClan warriors turning on them in the midst of a battle!? No, this isn't how he thought things would play out! Joining Ravenpaw and Lionheart, the tabby half demon threw RiverClan cats left and right to help his brothers. Willowpelt was the first to be rescued, launching herself at RiverClan with a loud, terrifying snarl. Redtail was pulled next and soon the four regrouped and stood together, ears flat and fur bristling at the two Clans facing them down.

Suddenly, Redtail started laughing and took a step forward. "There's too many to fight like this, starving as we all are. But...we'll take them down with us before it's finished. Except for you, little brother." The deputy then turned to Ravenpaw, nuzzling him briefly. "I won't let you die here. Go back to camp, warn the others. Go quickly and may StarClan, if they do have mercy, light your path."

Ravenpaw was reluctant but was urged on by Redtail. As soon as he broke into a run however, the rest of ThunderClan followed, all but Whitestorm. As he stood standing, one RiverClan tom, the deputy Oakheart lunged for Redtail, his eyes gleaming. The two briefly fought before Redtail gave the order for the others to help Ravenpaw while Oakheart shouted for his warriors to defend the camp. Whitestorm hesitated before running after his Clanmates.

Tgerclaw tried to help but was snapped at Redtail to stay back, even when it looked like Oakheart was about to win, Redtail bucked him into a small cave of Sunningrocks and continued the battle there. Soon there was a horrible grating sound and Tigerclaw yelled out for Redtail while the rocks shifted above the two deputies before the whole structure shifted and collapsed.

"Redtail! Uncle!" Tigerclaw tried to check over the fallen rocks but couldn't find Redtail or a way into the cave in. Suddenly, he heard coughing and then a bright red bushy tail poked out to be followed by the rest of Redtail.

The small half demon then raced off, darting towards ThunderClan's camp only to be stopped by Tigerclaw calling him. The smaller tom stopped, panting lightly and when Tigerclaw caught up with him, Redtail was glaring at his nephew.

"So, looks like you were right. Are you happy now?"

"Wha- But you...no! I didn't want this to happen! The others...I didn't think they would react like that! RiverClan didn't seem to know what was going on when you said all that!"

"RiverClan isn't the problem, Tigerclaw! We don't live with RiverClan! We're starving, Tigerclaw! You're the only one of us who is well fed, and don't you think that is a problem too? How can you go about your days growing fat while your brothers and kin are like walking corpses. I always thought you would see the error on your ways, but you never did!"

Tigerclaw took a step back and flattened his ears, his tail flicking nervously. "I...I tried to tell you, about the place I found! You wouldn't go there, that's not my fault! You can't blame me for that!"

Redtail walked forward until his was nose to nose to with his nephew. "You talk so much about us becoming stronger but you never did anything to help anyone but yourself! Admit it, you were only saying those things to look good and once things started spiraling out of control, that's when you became scared. You only really care about your own strength."

"Don't say that, it's not true!" Tigerclaw exclaimed while suddenly jumping at Redtail, biting hard into his shoulder.

Redtail of course struggled but Tigerclaw, who had more than just of forest cat, was much stronger and his grip was very hard to break. Still Redtail clawed at the tabby's belly, and while Tigerclaw felt little pain he still hissed and moved to bite at Redtail's throat.

It was a crushing bite that Redtail could only gurgle at, his clawing and biting getting weaker and weaker until he finally went limp. Tigerclaw blinked and dropped Redtail gently on the ground, his eyes getting wide as he realized what he had done.

Tigerclaw started breathing heavily as he nudged Redtail, softly calling to him and nuzzling his head. He gently shook him with a paw as his voice began to crack. No, Redtail had to be alive. He had to! He didn't mean to-

"Redtail? Get up. Come on, get up! Please! I-I didn't mean to...I just...Redtail, I'm sorry! I take it all back! I promise, I only wanted to make our brothers strong! ...Please, don't leave me! Uncle!" Tigerclaw laid across the body, curling around Redtail and pressing his muzzle into the dead deputy's cheek. Soft sobs echoed started to echo through the darkened forest.

**A/N: Well, holy shit! The whole of ThunderClan will now know that there are demons in their Clan. Redtail is dead and things are only going to get worse from here. Stay tuned to see where it will all lead. Please, as always, enjoy**


	14. Announcement

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

**An Urgent Announcement: **Hello, everyone, I'll keep this brief. I apologize for the wait in the next chapter. My grandmother has fallen incredibility ill and unfortunately the hospital she is currently in is less than ideal. I as well as rest of my family have been staying in her hospital room nearly round the clock to make sure she gets the care she needs. My grandmother has had good and bad days but it's still touch and go. At least for another couple of days, A Demon's Fire will be be a short hiatus. Hopefully I will return by the beginning of next week. Thank you for your patience.

~Sage of the Wolves


	15. Hatred and Grief

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Tigerclaw stayed laying against Redtail's body but his ears twitched at the sound of bushes rustling behind him. The tabby half demon at first ignored it until he made out the overwhelming tang of fear scent filling the air. Slowly, he got to his paws, rubbing his muzzle into Redtail's cheek, murmuring one last choked apology before turning to whatever was spying on him.

With a burst of speed, Tgerclaw cleared the distance and leapt into the air, pinning the spy with claws extended and a half hearted growl. It was another cat beneath him, fur as dark as night was fluffed with fear and disgust and Tigerclaw knew who it was.

"Ravenpaw," he muttered, sounding less surprised and more...disinterested. That is, until the apprentice spoke.

"You...you killed Redtail!"

Almost subconsciously, Tigerclaw smashed his paw on the apprentice's muzzle, his claws scraping hard against the younger cat's skin. "No! You will forgot what you saw! I...I didn't...I just..." Tigerclaw growled softly as his mind kept replaying what he did and he snarled, unknowingly digging his claws in further. "...If you tell anyone, I'll kill you!" the threat was capped off with a bite to the shoulder before Tigerclaw grabbed Ravenpaw and threw him far ahead of him.

Ravenpaw got to his paws, looking back as Tigerclaw glared at him and staggered away. Though he had no idea why the warrior killed Redtail, if he could cut down the deputy with no remorse then surely he had no problem doing it to the witness of the murder.

Tigerclaw watched Ravenpaw run back to camp. He wondered for a moment if he should have killed the apprentice before he shook the thought away. He couldn't bear to have anymore blood on his paws. He only had to hope that his threat was enough to keep Ravenpaw quiet.

Heading to to Redtail's body, the tabby half demon gently picked his uncle up by the scruff and began to gingerly carry him back to the camp. It was going to be a long journey back.

XxXx

Bluestar sat in the middle of camp, her head tilted to the sky as she watched the stars. She only turned away when the pounding of paws met her ears. She stood ready to greet her warriors back when she noticed the scent of anger and fear mixing together as well as the screechs and yowls on her own cats.

There was no other Clan scent and Bluestar tilted her head, running forward only to be stopped by Lionheart fending off Longtail and Mousefur, both who looked like they would collapse at any moment but was still fighting the big golden tom.

"Bluestar! Help us! Kill the demons! We've been tricked, all of them! They are all traitors! Redtail...he is chief among them! Our own deputy was a demon!" Longtail's mew was cut short by Lionheart pouncing on him but he was dealt with by Mousefur and sent crashing to the ground.

Runningwind soon helped to bite and claw at Lionheart while the rest of the ThunderClan patrol came with all of them sans Whitestorm falling into a frenzy trying to maim each other.

"Stop this at once!" Bluestar's yowl cut through the camp and all the fighters jumped away from each other but soon the leader noticed that the demons and half-demons of the Clan stood to one side while the normal cats of the Clan stood on the other. Only Whitestorm came to stand beside her, pressing his muzzle into her shoulder, his stance being firmly neutral.

Bluestar looked from one to the other, realizing that Redtail and Tigerclaw were gone, but she couldn't worry about that now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Spottedleaf dash from her den, carrying herbs and first applying them the the regular cats of the Clan before going to the demons, an action that got her hissed at.

The medicine cat unsheathed her claws at this, she seemed to know what was going on but was stayed by Lionheart subtly shaking his head. The healer gave the warrior a certain look before nodding with a sigh, moving on with her work.

Once a very unease truce was had, if you could even call it that, Bluestar stood in the middle of the split were the other ThunderClan cats that were left behind were coming out of their dens. Sandpaw and Firepaw stood close together while Sandpaw whimpered softly, the smell of blood causing her to grimace and claw at the ground. But it wasn't just that either, he father...was a demon? No! It couldn't be! It had to be a lie, it had to! Firepaw noticed and gave the other molly a surprisingly gentle nudge and licked her ear.

"Try breathing through your mouth, it won't be as bad." she instructed, nodding as Sandpaw did as she was told, though Firepaw noted it wasn't just that that was plaguing her, the paler molly would be demanding answers soon.

When the whole Clan was assembled, bar a few cats, Bluestar looked around and let out a commanding yowl. She wouldn't leave from this spot, if she did, she was absolutely certain the two groups would start to tear into each other again.

"Now, what is the meaning of this? Why were you attacking your Clanmate, Longtail, Mousefur?" Bluestar growled, giving the younger warriors a heated look. Runningwind was the one to answer, glaring with barely controlled rage the demons across from him.

"Bluestar, you should kill them all now! They have been lying to us! Those...creatures are nothing but evil murders! Demons, Bluestar! They are demons!"

The silvery-gray molly narrowed her eyes at that but before she could say anything, Patchpelt walked up, standing next to his sister earning surprised jeers and yowls from the others. Goldenflower soon joined them. Willowpelt rubbed her muzzle gratefully under her brother's chin, twining her tail with his.

"We have fought and trained with all of you, serving this Clan loyally. We have done nothing for you to fear us and yet now that the truth is out you turn against us. Perhaps we are the ones who should feel scared! You attack us! Belittle us! And for what? I guess despite everything, we cannot be trusted yet you say we're the bad ones?"

"What does it matter that we are demons? We are all Clanmates! Brothers, sisters! How can you turn us away?!" Goldenflower growled, taking a step forward only to be met with bared fangs and flashing claws.

Lionheart too stood in her way, shaking his head. "No, if we get riled up and attack them now, things will never change!"

"But-!" Goldenflower began, to which Lionheart drew his tail across her mouth, silencing her.

"Endure it, they will learn to respect us and trust us once more."

Spottedleaf scoffed at that, flattening her ears. "I wouldn't hold my breath. Wait, hold on. Where's Ravenpaw? And my brother and Tigerclaw?"

The other demons of the Clan all looked around, they had forgotten about the little apprentice and the other two warriors. Spottedleaf stood and began calling for her brother to which the normal cats of the Clan all hissed in fury.

"Maybe the RiverClan cats finished him off!" Mousefur called from the crowed only to be met with Spottedleaf's enraged growl, her claws tearing at the smaller molly's shoulders. Goldenflower and Patchpelt struggled to break her away from Mousefur, who was now bleeding from the face with a heavily torn ear. Her eyes were wild in shock as the medicine cat had attacked her. "W-Why?"

"My brother would never fall in battle so easily! Have some respect, cat!" Spottedleaf yowled, her eyes boring eyes into Mousefur, who looked back confused but soon started to feel so cold...

Sandpaw saw how the Clan was falling into choas but she soon noticed that Redtail was missing too and nudged Firepaw to come with her. However, Runningwind noticed this and went to attack the flame furred apprentice. Firepaw scowled and jumped away, but not without clawing the older warrior hard across the cheek.

"Runningwind! Stop! What are you doing?" Sandpaw came to her fellow apprentice's side, biting on the tabby's tail and tugging to distract him.

"Get off, Sandpaw! She's just like the rest of them, you need to be kept safe! We can't lose you!"

"She isn't going to hurt me and even then, I can take care of myself!" Sandpaw scowled, biting and tugging a little harder.

Bluestar flattened her ears and got ready to step forward when the entrance to the camp rustled and Ravenpaw surged forward, panting and looking all around him. The fight now forgotten, all cats turned to him, some with sympathy over his wounds and the others hostile, wishing he had dropped dead in the battle.

Blindly he rushed straight for Lionheart, dragging his left foreleg as his wounded shoulder as blood dotted the ground. He buried his face into the golden warrior's long fur, sobbing and trembling. Lionheart could only mutter soft words and curl around the apprentice, licking the top of his head in an effort to calm him.

"Ravenpaw, what happened? Why are you crying? Where's Redtail and Tigerclaw?" Bluestar, her fur beginning to bristle as her claws scraped the ground. She could feel her control loosening, she had to maintain order, now!

At the sound of Tigerclaw's name, the apprentice flinched and at first, he did not respond, only gasping for air and clinging harder to Luonheart. The normal cats all hissed and sneered, Ravenpaw and Redtail was of _them._ Who cared what happened to them?

"Red...Redtail...he's...he's dead!" Ravenpaw yowled after much difficulty, his voice silencing everything and the dead quiet ripped though the camp.

"What?!" Sanpaw screeched, her fur fluffing up in disbelief, her eyes wide in shock. "Why would you say that?! Nothing can take down my father!"

The demons of the Clan all bowed their heads, all of them was aware that Redtail had stayed behind, perhaps a group of RiverClan cats came to finish him off.

"It was them! RiverClan! They had to have been the ones who killed Redtail! Lionheart! You can lead us! Give us the order and we'll tear RiverClan apart! I have to avenge my brother!" Spottedleaf snarled, her claws leaving deep furrows into the ground as she began to pant, imagining driving her fangs into the throat of a RiverClan warrior. Sandpaw found herself agreeing with Spottedleaf and growled softly in pain and grief. Redtail...her father...he couldn't really be dead, could he? He promised that he would come back alive. This, plus the accusation of him being a demon, it was starting to become too much. Sandpaw fell to her side, her body trembling.

"Excuse me? Since when was Lionheart the leader? I will give no such order! We have no proof that RiverClan did anything! To start a battle over nothing, I will not allow it! Now on to the more pressing matters. These cats have never done you any harm! They have lived their lives by the warrior code and have never acted like the demons outside our borders"

"I will not allow you to treat them with such contempt. Judge them not on what they were born as but by the action of their character. Do I make myself clear?" Mutters words of dissatisfaction rose through the ranks and Bluestar knew that this would not be easy. Still, she sighed, if it meant that her Clan would not attack one one another, it would be fine.

Lionheart and the others didn't look convinced and stayed where they were even when the other cats eventually went to their nests. Bluestar walked over to Spottedleaf, urging her, practically begging her to treat her cats. The medicine cat narrowed her eyes at that. Why should she? The normal cats didn't seem to realize that she was a half demon along with her brother but still...

But such things were unimportant to her now, really she thought of doing nothing. Why should she help the cats that scorned and attacked her brothers and Redtail? But looking at Bluestar's face and feeling a nudge from Lionheart, the tortoiseshell molly begrudging got up to take the wounded to her den.

Yet, just as she was moving, another rustle at the entrance came forth. The scent of Tigerclaw and Redtail filled the air and Sandpaw, as well as the rest the demons and cats of ThunderClan looked up to see the tabby warrior gingerly carrying a large bundle with him. Not prey, but another cat. Redtail.

"Father!" Sandpaw raced forward as Tigerclaw put Retail's corpse down, his amber eyes hollow as he watched the apprentice cry and throw herself against her dead father. Tigerclaw swallowed deeply as another wave of guilt and terror washed over him.

He briefly looked up to see Ravenpaw looking at him and the warrior's gaze hardened for a moment and Ravenpaw buried his face back in Lionheart's fur. Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes but looked over Bluestar who stood gazing down at her deputy, her stance exuding calm with the exception of her twitching tail.

"What happened, Tigerclaw?" At her soft words, the tabby flinched, did she somehow know? Did Ravenpaw tell her despite his threat? No...that couldn't be, or else she would have attacked him by now.

"He... he fought bravely but he was struck down by Oakheart." Tigerclaw began, his chest feeling suddenly heavy by the weight of his lie and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and push it away. "I managed to take Oakheart's life while he was gloating. Such a battle, as well as the death of RiverClan's deputy, will surely leave our hunting grounds free of their ilk for a long, long time."

Bluestar settled next to Sandpaw, giving the grieving molly a grief lick on the head that went unacknowledged. "Redtail would have made a fine leader. He was never swayed by pride or ambition and looked after his Clanmates well..." she muttered, loud enough to be heard.

"Huh, arguably..." Longtail jeered to himself from the medicine den and Spottedleaf retaliated by slapping a stinging poultice on the younger cat's side.

"You shouldn't squirm so much, Longtail. Try to stay quiet and still." she added with a snarl to which Longtail, sensing danger, complied.

Firepaw watched from a distance as the rest of the demons all crowded around Redtail's body, gently licking and whispering soft words to him. The flame colored molly couldn't say she felt any emotion from Redtail himself dying but seeing Sandpaw's broken reaction to it, Firepaw remembered Jake and bowed her head.

"Father..." she muttered softly, shutting her eyes tight.

Lionheart, for a moment, looked around the camp. He noticed that only he, his brothers, Whitestorm and Bluestar were bidding Redtail goodbye. The others were staying in the shadows or in their nests. The big warrior looked to the star-filled sky, wondering which one among was Redtail's spirit.

"Oh, Redtail. You left us at the worst possible time. The Clan is against us and we don't know what to do. But... I promise that I'll look after them. I'll take care of us. And Redtail, please, comfort your daughter in her dreams. She will mourn you deeply and she will need your guidance."

**A/N: Well now, Redtail's body has been brought back, the Clan has divided and Tigerclaw isn't feeling too great. Things don't look like it's gonna get any better for ThunderClan anytime soon. But hopefully things will...get slightly less horrible, maybe?**

**Also, my grandmother is doing much better, she's still in the hospital but out of danger. Thank you every one with being so patient. Hopefully the story will get back on track. As always, enjoy.**


	16. Unexpected Deputies, Looming Prophecies

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw crouched with the rest of ThunderClan's demons at her father's body, the fact that she was a demon still didn't sit right with her and she wished that he was here to talk to her. Why did he hide that fact from her and what did it mean for Sandpaw herself? If he was a demon...what did that mean for her? Would the Clan turn on her too?

Shaking her head, the pale ginger molly buried her muzzle further in her father's fur and let out a single cry. Everything now would be different and Sandapw didn't know how she was going to move on from here.

Eventually, when the moon reached it's highest point, Bluestar stood and turned to the Highrock, jumping up with one powerful bound and looking down at Redtail's body and the ones gathered around it.

"It is moon high and per tradition, I must choose a cat to succeed Redtail as Clan deputy." Here Bluestar paused, first her gaze going to the demons in her Clan to the normal cats who were filled with fear and hatred before taking a deep breath.

There was only one cat in her mind that she thought would the prefect choice to lead by her side...but now...with all this turmoil in her Clan, Lionheart would have to wait. And while it was very tempting to have Whitestorm at her side, Bluestar noticed the white cat seemed somewhat conflicted about the whole issue with the demons. She wasn't sure if he was willing to play such a role right now.

She couldn't have her Clan divided but at the same time, she couldn't appoint another demon to deputy. There was very little options left, so little options, but Bluestar thought that the cat she chose would be a good enough pick for the time being. She would only hope that this cat would step up to the challenge ahead.

Besides, she needed to make sure the normal cats in her Clan didn't think she was showing favoritism. She needed their loyalty and their support. This cat would soothe out that issue, at least for now and Bluestar wouldn't have to worry about cats demanding so much of her.

Bluestar breathed in deep and raised her voice for all to hear. "I say these words before the body of Redtail so that his spirit can hear and approve my choice. Darkstripe will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

All of the Clan, all of it, was shocked by Bluestar's decision. What are earth possessed her to choose _Darkstripe_? He was an alright warrior, but was he good enough to fill the role as deputy? He was known for wanting to keep his Clan safe, but was this enough? Darkstripe was known to be arrogant and sly. Such attributes didn't make him that popular in the Clan. But...he was a loyal warrior and perhaps he would be mellowed out with his new position. The dark furred warrior sat in the shadows, his eyes giving nothing away as he walked forward, his tail and head held high.

He stood before the Highrock, bowing his head towards Bluestar before turning to the Clan. "I am honored to be given this position and I promise to do all I can to protect ThunderClan til the very end."

Most cats said nothing after he was done talking, only giving minute congratulations before things settled into an even deeper quiet. Bluestar narrowed her eyes, but the ceremony was done and she jumped down to go with the elders to bury Redtail.

Darkstripe watched and waited for a moment before turning his gaze on the demons, seeing them give him unsure looks. Of course, he knew that Bluestar appointing him as deputy came right out of nowhere and every cat else knew it too, but he had to try and make the best of it.

Letting out a snort, he walked over to the group, once more bowing his head. His gaze fell to Lionheart and the two males stared at each other. There was a crushing silence before Lionheart spoke, tilting his head to the others by his side.

"So, you're deputy now. Does that mean we can trust you? Will you treat us with contempt or will you stand by our side without fear?"

"I think that-" Darkstripe began before Lionheart turned away, ignoring him.

"You don't have to lie. I know you don't trust us. It's fine. There's enough of us to protect ourselves. That's all you need to know."

"Lionheart..."

"You should go and look after your Clanmates, Darkstripe. Make sure they feel safe tonight, after all, who knows what can happen at this point?" the golden male growled softly, turning fully to Willowpelt to talk with her about something.

Darkstripe stood before the group, his tail lashing for a moment before he turned to do as Lionheart suggested. As he came to the warrior's den, he was greeted with a more spirited greeting. Longtail came and pressed his nose to the darker cart, his eyes shining.

"This is great! A warrior that we can trust! Bluestar made the right choice choosing one of us as deputy! A wretched demon wouldn't be able to understand what it meant to truly act for the Clan."

_'But Redtail seemed able to do a good enough_ _job.' _Darkstripe thought, though he kept his mouth shut.

"I will do what I can to make sure all of ThunderClan stays safe." the dark cat muttered, though he did flatten his ears, he felt his usual arrogance faltering here. How was he supposed to do that? He didn't even know where to begin with fixing this rift. _'But I'll figure it out. The Clan will look to me as much as Bluestar to keep them safe.' _Darkstripe tried to reassure himself but soon his thoughts are broken by a hiss from Runningwind.

Darkstripe turned to see Willowpelt and Goldenflower trying to enter the den. Runningwind's hissing grew louder when the pair didn't move and soon Mousefur and Longtail stood to stand by the swift warrior, growling and baring their fangs. The meaning was clear; get out.

The two mollies narrowed their eyes then turned to Darkstripe who stared back before coming in between both parties. "Let them in. They are warriors, your Clanmates." he growled softly, his tail twitching.

"They are demons," Runningwind growled, unsheathing his claws and taking a step forward. "They could eat us in our sleep, they can't...they won't stay here!"

"I am your deputy now, and I order you to-" Darkstripe started but noticed movement from the corner of his eyes. The two females were retreating.

"It's okay. We'll stay outside, we'll let the others know." Goldenflower grunted, not turning to look at the others while Willowpelt stayed close to her side. Darkstripe took a step forward but had no idea what to say and in the end, he was left alone.

XxXxX

Bluestar came back with the elders later that night from burying Redtail, her eyes downcast and troubled. As she was walking she noticed half of her Clan, the demonic half was sleeping outside of their nests, huddling together in the cold. The elders returned to their own den and Sandpaw, her paws dragging, lumbering over to the slumbering group, her head tilted.

Ravenpaw woke when he heard her approach and after a few whispered words and a startled snort from Sandpaw, went back to sleep. She found Firepaw still up, staring at the sky. The two ginger mollies looked towards each other and Sandpaw lowered her head.

"I don't...know what to do." Sandpaw muttered, shaking her head. "My father...was a demon...half the Clan are demons! I-I might be..."Sandpaw couldn't force herself to finish and only quietly whimpered. "Everyone is turning on each other! Everything is so messed up! What am I supposed to do?"

She looked at the slightly younger molly, who didn't speak and only nudged her to the huddle pile and laid her down. "Sleep. Your father would want you to live and become strong. There's a storm coming and you will need your strength. Sleep."

Sandpaw looked up at Firepaw and the demon leaned down, giving the paler female a lick on the forehead before settling down next to her, their fur brushing together.

Bluestar heard all of this and form that could guess what happened. The leader sighs and walks away. It's late and such a matter would have to be dealt with sooner. As she was on her way to her den, she spots Spottedleaf headed outside her own, towards her.

"How is everyone?" Bluestar asks, though she catches the younger molly's dark expression and turns her head away.

"Everyone will live. And it seems like they haven't caught on to the fact that I am half demon too. A pity really. I would have loved to see them try to patch their own wounds and cure their own sicknesses." The healer replied, her voice full of bitterness.

Bluestar felt her neck fur rise and she showed her fangs, Spottedleaf looked at her briefly, her own fur fluffed up before turning away. Both mollies' claws glinted in the moonlight.

"That's not fair! You can't possibly think that!" Bluestar hissed softly, taking a step forward and snorting when Spottedleaf didn't flinch.

"You think so!?" Spottedleaf snarled, finally looking Bluestar in the eye and seeing how her body went slack and she growled, her fur bristling more. "_No! _Listen to me!" Her enraged voice seemed to cut through the fog for a moment and Bluestar stood straighter, if only for a minute.

"Do you really think that this is okay?! _None_ of this is okay!" Spottedleaf snarled, gesturing to her sleeping Clanmates outside their nests. "We are loyal! My brother would have never allowed this!"

When Spottedleaf closed her eyes to seethe, Bluestar felt her mind coming back. "Spottedleaf, I-"

"No, nothing you can say right now will fix this. Just...drop it, Bluestar. I need to be with my brothers." the younger molly said, her shoulders sagging.

As she began walking towards the pile of warm fur, a star streaked through the sky. Spottedleaf then felt a tremor go through her and she gasped, her whole body feeling cold and her body trembled heavily.

Bluestar blinked and walked towards the younger molly, her paw outstretched when Spottedleaf shook out her fur and took a deep breath.

"A message...from StarClan." Spottedleaf let out a small breath as she looked to the stars, her gaze trying to find the one that house her brother's spirit. "Redtail..."

"Well, what did they say?" Bluestar asked, narrowing her eyes and raising her voice a little louder than she meant.

Spottedleaf sneered and gave her leader a dark look before returning her eyes briefly to the stars. Finally, when she was ready, she looked over to Bluestar once more.

"A prophecy. _Only with the sand's guiding storm can fire blaze and save the Clan._"

"Sand's guiding...fire... But fire is feared by all the Clans! And with a storm? How is that possible? How can either help us?"

"You know that StarClan prefers to talk in riddles, Bluestar. Whatever the phohecy is referring to, I'm sure that we will learn in due time. Though I would think that that is the least of your problems." the healer then shook her head and started to head for the group of demons sleeping together. "I'm going to sleep with my brothers."

"Spottedleaf..." Bluestar tried calling after her, but the medicine cat did not acknowledged her and the ThunderClan leader realized there was nothing else she could do but go to her own den.


	17. Tours, Truths, and Choices

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

When Firepaw woke up, she immediately turned her head towards Sandpaw, she found the slightly older apprentice still sleeping and blinked, allowing a small sigh of relief. The flame colored demon then looked up, her green eyes watching the clouds before movement from the warrior's den caught her attention.

Narrowing her eyes, Firepaw watched as Darkstripe, ThunderClan's new deputy stepped out and stretched before heading towards the fresh kill pile. The young demon watched him pick out a thrush and scowled. She still wasn't used to forest food. Ever since she came here, he belly would always feel empty, even after she would finish eating. She wondered if Sandpaw felt the same, after all she had at least some demon blood in her.

Firepaw sighed at that before noticing Lionheart rising and making his way to the fresh kill pile as well before being cut off by a sneering Longtail and a regretful Halftail.

"We don't want you touching our food, Lionheart. It's not like you need it, go settle your dark appetite on something else, demon." the tabby warrior snarled, showing his fangs.

Lionheart's eyes widened and he took a step back, looking over to the nursery and finding Speckletail listening from the entrance with pain and sorrow shining in her eyes. Lionheart turned back to the two males and found Halftail looked uncomfortable and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Just...just go, Lionheart. You might...you might get hurt. Please. Don't fight over some prey." Sensing that he had won, Longtail told Halftail to stand guard over the fresh kill pile while he walked off. Darkstripe, who remained behind and heard everything, sneered at the retreating tom before looking to Lionheart and Halftail.

Darkstripe took a deep breath and wondered over to the pair, his whiskers twitching. "I'll make sure to talk to Longtail about his behavior, you can eat from the fresh kill pile."

Lionheart looked at the fresh kill pile then back to where Longtail was walking off and snorted. "It seems we'll only be able to eat if you are around. Tell Longtail he and the rest of the Clan can keep his prey. We'll hunt our own food."

Before Darkstripe could speak, Lionheart turned away and walked over to Firepaw, lowering his head. "You haven't been assigned a mentor yet. Sandpaw has Whitestrom, Ravenpaw has Tigerclaw, and though you haven't met her, I have a cat named Graypaw. We'll have to think of something, but you need to start training. Go to the apprentices' den and get Graypaw for me. All of us will be taking you young cats out to the forest. We need to think..." he added this part under his breath but Firepaw narrowed her eyes, deciding to just do as she was told.

Going to the apprentices' den, Firepaw looked inside to see a thick gray furred molly sleeping soundly in her nest. Firepaw gave her a nudge before the other began to stir and let out a soft yawn.

"Time to get up?" her voice came out groggy as she stretched and quickly got to her paws. "Hey, you must be the demon that everyone is talking about. Or rather, one of the demons. It all makes sense now, why mother was so careful around me. Ack, I'm sorry, I'm Graypaw. What's your name?"

"Firepaw." the ginger molly answered tersely before turning to head out of the den. Graypaw followed and the pair made their way to their mentors, who nodded and greeted Graypaw with soft meows.

"We'll be exploring the territory today, you'll need to see the land that you will be defending and will have to learn just where our borders lie. Now then, come." Lionheart said before turning and heading out of the gorse tunnel and up the ravine.

Sandpaw, Firepaw, and Graypaw all followed after their mentors, Firepaw however kept her head down, not interested in seeing the forest. It was the same, no matter what, what difference could there be?

"Young Firepaw, you need to pay attention and familiarize yourself with the territory. Please keep your head up." Lionheart scolded gently, turning his head to look at the ginger apprentice.

Firepaw flinched and gave the golden warrior a look before picking up her head, noticing a giant sycamore tree ahead of them. "What?"

"This is the Great Sycamore. Apprentices practice their climbing and stalking skills here. Speaking of, we will do just that. Just a quick demonstration though," Whitestorm said, turning to the young cats with a smile before extending his claws and leaping at the tree climbing skillfully.

The three apprentices watched as Whitestorm scaled up, up, and up into the branches of the mighty tree, looking down on the cats below. The pure white warrior stayed on the lower branches so the younger cats could see him and easily jumped from branch to branch, his fur billowing out and his tail streaming behind him. He weaved his way through the branches, his paws looked as if they barely touched the bark.

Sandpaw looked at her mentor with pride and awe, her eyes shining as she watched. Graypaw had her mouth hanging open and jumped to paws, eager to try. However, Lionheart stalled her, reminding her gently that they were to be traversing the territory.

"You'll get your chance, Graypaw, I promise." As he spoke the gray furred molly sighed and nodded, watching Whitestorm fly through the branches of the great tree before shimmying back down, barely breaking a sweat.

Firepaw had to admit that Whitestorm's skills were pretty amazing and she looked at the massive tree, wanting to be able to do the same. The white warrior chuckled and waved his tail in amusement, following Firepaw's gaze.

"Once you have learned oyour territory, hunting and fighting will come next. You will learn to fly through the trees faster than any squirrel. It's is ThunderClan's greatest skill. No other Clan can climb and jump through the trees like we can. But beware, the other Clans have their own skills. Each Clan is balanced and diverse in this way. It's what makes us all different from each other."

The three young cats all listened intently and Firepaw was more motivated to learn. The patrol continued on, through Tallpines and the Treecut Place, an aptly named part of the forest filled with the sticky scent of pine trees. Beyond it was a area known as Twolegplace. Firepaw had heard of it but Jake always warned her against going there. The cats had to weave their way through muddy water, though Firepaw, seemingly worse to the wet, didn't even bother. Lionheart noted this with a small interested grunted. They traveled on to the Owl Tree, where Whitestorm explained that an owl lived there and the Clan used the owl during night hunts to find prey.

Then they went to Snakerocks, the young cats could smell the scent of adders and all hissed but the older males passed them along, seeing as they got the gist of the danger there and didn't want to linger there themselves.

Lionheart led them further in towards Sunningrocks and here, he scowled. The sight and smell of battle was still here. He could still smell blood and his mouth started to water. Turing his head, Lionheart saw that being here was affecting Sandpaw and Firepaw, with the latter practically drooling and trembling. Well, it looked like Sandpaw's demon blood, however small an amount it was, was starting to awaken. He would have to talk to Spottedleaf later. They had to help her before things got even more hard for them.

Graypaw tilted her head and nudged both her companions with Sandpaw snapping at her, actually nicking her and making a small trickle of blood ran down. The fluffy cat jumped, yelping and moved near Lionheart for protection. Whitestorm tugged hard on Sandpaw's ear to distract her but it only caused her to turn her ravenous gaze on him, baring her fangs. Lionheart sighed and then, rather roughly, pinned the pale molly to the ground with a muted growl. Their eyes met and for a second, Sandpaw looked like she was going to attack but a surprisingly savage snarl from Lionheart cowed her and she turned her head, her ears flat. Staring at her for a second more, Lionheart then moved away, nodding to Whitestorm.

"Let's finish this. She needs to go to Spottedleaf. Graypaw, are you okay with continuing?" Lionheart asked while looking at Firepaw, the darker apprentice seemed hungry as well but after watching Lionheart, kept her head bowed and remained still.

"N-No, I'm fine, we can keep going." Graypaw muttered though she stayed close to Lionheart and as far from Sandpaw as she could.

Once away from the battle torn area, the young demons and Lionheart himself seemed to calm down a little, though because of Sandpaw's little episode, the mentors sped through the rest of the tour. Firepaw absorbed all she could and was able to retain it all and knew that with time, she would know the territory anyway.

Once back at the camp, Lionheart told Sandpaw to follow him and while a little reluctant, did as she was told. Graypaw waited by Whitestorm before heading to the apprentices' den and Firepaw, curious, followed after the tom and molly.

She followed them to Spottedleaf's den, sitting just before the entrance, Firepaw could hear Lionheart telling the healer about the tour of the territory and what happened with Sandpaw and Graypaw. From her vantage point, she could just see Sandpaw wince and lower her head while Spottedleaf began to pace.

"This is bad, there's a risk now the Clan knows about us. We all know how they are treating us, if you or I do this, it could be the breaking point."

Lionheart heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head, closing his eyes. He opened them and turned to the entrance of the den. "I know you're hanging about, Firepaw. You might as well there is nothing here you need to hear.."

Firepaw flinched when Lionheart called out to her and for a second she hesitated, but then she was already found out, she had to go. Stepping away from the medicine den, Firepaw tried to meet Sandpaw's eyes in reassurance but the paler molly wouldn't raise her head.

Firepaw snorted at that, but before she could say anything, Spotteleaf moved in close to Sandpaw, wrapping her tail around her. The pale molly at first leaned into her aunt's touch, burying her face into her warm fur before looking up at her, her green eyes smothering. Spottedleaf stared back for only a second before turning her gaze away. Although Sandpaw was at least quarter demon, they didn't have the same power to entrance while Spottedleaf of course, still did. She had to be careful, but that right now wasn't the biggest issue.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sandpaw murmured, her voice so quiet Spottedleaf had to strain to hear. Lionheart blinked and giving Spottedleaf a nod, he soon left. Spottedleaf knew what she had to attempt and the pair needed space right now. He would give it to them.

"Why did father keep this from me? Why didn't _you_ say anything?" Sandpaw questioned, moving away from Spottedleaf to glare at her, her fur bristling.

Spottedleaf let out a breath and walked towards Sandpaw, stooping a bit to lick her cheek in an effort to comfort her and Sandpaw began to shiver, the force of the knowledge that her father was dead and never coming back crushed her all over again. Sandpaw sagged to her belly and Spottedleaf curled around, once more licking her and trying to give all the love she could for her niece.

"He wanted to protect you. Redtail didn't want you to know because he wanted you to be free of the judgement, the hatred, the fear. He wanted you to grow up happy without knowing strife."

Sandpaw raised her head, giving Spottedleaf a certain look as she spoke, realizing that there was logic in her words. Her father did care about her happiness, it was all he ever wanted. If he was here now, he would want to protect her and still want to preserve her happiness.

It hurt seeing the Clan turn on itself, and even though Sandpaw understood, it still hurt that she was lied to. She let out a brief sigh and nuzzled into Spottedleaf, her eyes downcast. "What...does this all mean for me?" she asked, her voice wavering as she dreaded what her aunt would say.

Spottedleaf stayed quiet for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, giving her niece a sorrowful look. "It means you are a beast of blood, of hunger, and of power. Even with so little of it running through your veins, you are still demon. Your strength will be your greatest weapon and if you do not not control it, your hunger will be your ultimate downfall."

Spottedleaf then left Sandpaw, getting up to go to the back of her den and pulled out a bundle wrapped in leaves before placing it in front of Sandpaw sniffed the packet before her aunt unwrapped it. It smelled like some kind of meat, but none that she ever knew.

Spottedleaf unfurled the packet, revealing a hunk of dried meat and looked at Sandpaw, this time not looking away, despite the danger. "You have to eat this or else your hunger will grow so great, you'll go mad."

Sandpaw looked at the dried piece of meat, narrowing her eyes and gulping, the smell of it causing her mouth to water and drool for some reason. "What...what is it?" a part of her, a tiny part, knew what Spottedleaf was going to say but Sandpaw was hoping beyond hope that she was wrong.

"I've known you were going to awaken sooner or later, and I know the dangers of trying to deny what you are. Sandpaw, I don't want that for you. This is cat flesh, from one I've killed myself. You have to eat it, or you'll only fall into the blood-soaked darkness of a ravenous beast."

**A/N: Dun Dun Duuuuun~ Well, that one hell of a choice to make, I wonder what Sandpaw will choose? Here's a not so obvious hint: it won't be the right choice, at least, not for a while. In the next chapter, you'll see how it all goes down. Until then, please enjoy.**


	18. Slipping Away

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw glared at the hunk ofmeat then transferred that gaze to Spottedleaf, her tail lashing. "I am _not_ a monster! Have could you even think of asking me to eat that?! Just because I may have demon blood in me does not mean I will do as they do! Father never ate any cats, you never so what makes you think that I-"

She was cut off by Spottedleaf, who snarled and unsheathed her claws, standing to her full height and looming over the apprentice. "Your father did everything he could to curb his hunger. But don't you doubt for a second that he never indulged. It's impossible and too risky to go without eating our natural prey for too long! Redtail and I, and every demon in this Clan has tried to not go down that path. But in the end, we learned through pain and madness that such a thing was impossible. While you can go without eating other cats for a while, if you don't want to lose your mind, you'll have to eat."

Sandpaw shook her head, stepping further away from her aunt and hissing at her. "No! Keep it away from me! I don't believe you, father was always fine, no matter what! I won't believe that I'll have to eat cat meat!"

The pale molly raced out of the den, nearly crashing into Graypaw, who flinched and backed away from her. Sandpaw watched her but soon shook her head, dashing out into the forest. She could hear Spottedleaf and a few others calling out for her, but she didn't stop running, she had to get away. She couldn't face the reality that Spottedleaf had laid out for her.

XxXx

It was night when Sandpaw finally came back to the camp. All day she had been avoiding patrols sent out to look for her and as a result, didn't have a chance to eat anything the entire time. She slipped through the gorse tunnel and was just able to hear Darkstripe organizing another patrol to search for her when Firepaw spotted her.

The darker molly stomped over to her and suddenly bit her ear, glaring at her. When Sandpaw shook her off and gave her an angry look.

"Spottedleaf told me about what happened. You'll regret it if you don't listen to her. You might get turned out of this Clan."

Sandpaw growled and shook her head, turning her head away. "I don;t care what you heard or what she said! It's not true! I'll never go down that path!" she vowed with a growl, looking at Firepaw with conviction shining in her eyes.

Firepaw stared back and huffed, turning her back on the paler female. "Then you are a fool."

Sandpaw growled at that, following Firepaw and blocking her path. "You don't know anything! You've never been lied to! You've always known who and what you are! Don't talk to me like you know what I'm going through!"

Firepaw frowned while snorting, giving the other apprentice a hard look. "You're right, I don't know what you're going through. But I do know that trying to deny what you are is only going to lead to pain and misery. And maybe even death. Listen to Spottedleaf, she just wants to help you."

Sandpaw only backed away, snorting and moving away from the darker molly, keeping her back to her.

The next day, Whitestorm and Tigerclaw had decided to take Sandpaw out hunting and the pair was joined by Firepaw and Ravenpaw. The black furred apprenticed was feeling a little better from his battle with RiverClan and while Spottedleaf didn't want him to d anything too strenuous, he was allowed to do a bit of hunting before going to back to the medicine den. However, that didn't seem to matter to Tigerclaw as he gave his apprentice an intimidating, making the smaller cat squirm.

"Today, we will working on stalking mice. Firepaw, can you tell me the best way to catch a mouse." the white warrior asked the flame colored demon gently, giving her time to think when she looked mildly surprised when she was called on.

When she looked down, not knowing, Ravenpaw cough and tapped his paw gently on the ground a few times and Firepaw looked at him confused before realization dawned and she turned her gaze to Whitestorm.

"Step lightly." she muttered, her body tensed in anticipation.

Smiling, Whitestorm nodded, his tail waving. "Yes, that's right! Good job! Now what would be the best method for hunting a rabbit?"

"Stalk downwind," Sandpaw called out, sinking her claws in the dirt with an amused expression. Firepaw snorted softly, but when Sandpaw took a look at her, she could see the molly smirking.

"That too, is correct. Well done, Sandpaw." Whitsestorm praised his apprentice with a smile before calling for the apprentices to try stalking themselves. Sandpaw did just fine, but Ravenpaw struggled, earning a annoyed growl from Tigerclaw.

"Come on, Ravenpaw! You know that stalk! Act like you've hunted once before in your life! Your shoulder can't be affecting you that much!" Ravenpaw flinched at Tigerclaw surly tone, feeling hot shame wash over him as Tigerclaw sighed in disappointment. "Try again, this time get it right!" he added, rolling his eyes.

"Perhaps actually hunting prey would be better for them, don't you think, Tigerclaw?" Whitestorm asked, swiftly coming to the black cat's rescue. Tigerclaw muttered something and turned his head away, looking at the sky. "It's settled then. Sandpaw, I want you to go Tallpines, Ravenpaw, you can try Sunningrocks, but please be careful. And Firepaw, for your first hunt, you can go to the Great Sycamore."

The three apprentices nodded, eager to prove themselves. Even Ravenpaw seemed to shed his discomfort at this challenge. Without hesitation, the young cats took off, Tigerclaw watched them go before heading out to tail them. He wanted to see just how well they would do.

However he was stopped by Whitestorm, the older warrior calling out to him gently while giving the tabby a somewhat stern look. "Let the apprentices be, Tigerclaw, there is nothing more nerve wrecking than knowing your mentor is following you."

"I wasn't going to-" Tigerclaw began but Whitestorm cut him off.

"For Ravenpaw, you were. Let him breath for a moment. I know you want him to be strong but there are different kinds of strength. Give Ravenpaw time and stop badgering him so much. A apprentice is allowed to make mistakes and feel pain. Even you demons can suffer too." Whitestrom gave Tigerclaw a friendly nudge before walking off to wait for the apprentices. Tigerclaw remained where he was before he tilted his head to the sky. "We demons can suffer... Oh Whitestorm, you have no idea how right you are. Redtail... I'm sorry." XxXx

Firepaw sat in the shade of a tree, her tail flicking irritably. Three mice. So far, she had missed three mice that managed to slip through her claws. Growling softly, she got to her paws and scented the air, trying once more to get a prey scent. She soon found one and tracked it to another mouse, half hidden under a bunch of leaves, looking for seeds. Firepaw took a deep breath and copying Ravenpaw, went into a crouch and pulled her body forward. The mouse remained under the leaves and Firepaw prayed that it would stay there. She was so close now, just a little more... Suddenly the wind shifted and the mouse twitched, pulling its body out from under the leaves to sniff around. Before it had a chance to detect her and bolt, Firepaw gave a mighty leap and slammed her paws hard on where the mouse was. During the jump, the fire colored molly closed her eyes, expecting this mouse to have run away, or like the others, slipped through her claws. Firepaw opened her eyes when she felt a fading pulse and fur beneath her paw pads, lifting them up to see the mouse, dead, under them. Firepaw blinked and let out a soft yowl of triumph! She did it, she caught her first prey! Feeling a rush of sudden satisfaction, she snatched up the mouse to show to Sandpaw. Perhaps, this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she could truly feel like a cat of ThunderClan now!

XxXx

In the coming days, Sandpaw had seemed to have gone to become a little _off. _Every other day, Spottedleaf would go to speak with her, but every time, Sandpaw would send her away. She would growl at anyone who got too close and snap at them savagely if they stayed. One time, she lunged at Graypaw, claws out, when the gray furred molly accidentally bumped into her and sent Graypaw running with a nasty scratch.

She had also taken to eating more and more, and when bullies like Longtail or Mousefur tried to start something, Sandpaw had retaliated with unexpectedly fury, biting into them both and chasing them all over the camp. Darkstripe had to get involved and punished Sandpaw with only moss gathering and caring for the elders and tried to do the same with the warriors, but Bluestar said she would handle it but it turned out she did nothing at all.

Sanpaw was also filled unrelenting energy, nearly bouncing all over the forest and running Whitestorm ragged but hissed and jeered when the older warrior would slow even for a moment. She would claw at the ground, then at any nearby trees until the warrior finally reached her. Spottedleaf, Lionheart and even Tigerclaw seemed to know what was going on but everytime someone would try to say something, Sandpaw would brush them off.

Today, all the apprentices would be taken out for battle training. Ravenpaw had been cleared by Spottedleaf to resume his apprentice duties and while he was a still a little skittish around him, Tigerclaw had seemed to take Whitestorm's words to heart and was trying to do better. But his impatience still got the best of him at times and he would softly growl and scoff when his apprentice wouldn't perform as well as he hoped. Sandpaw sat in the training hollow with Whitestoem, her tail curled tightly around her paws and her head bowed. During the light briefing before training started, she said nothing and kept her eyes firmly fixed on the ground. The mentors had decided that Ravenpaw would go up against Sandpaw and Firepaw against Graypaw.

Graypaw let out a little sigh of relief that he would be facing Firepaw, he licked at his still healing scratch and gave Sandpaw a withering look that turned into a whimper when Sandpaw snarled at her.

Sensing that Sandpaw was in one of her moods again, Whitestorm thought it would be wise to get the training session over and done with. The mentors took the young cats to the training hollow and hear they told the four youngsters to begin, the goal was to get their opponent on their back and pin them five times before the mock battle was over. Sandpaw grinned at that and stood facing Ravenpaw, who knew of her changing mood but didn't back down or run away. With Firepaw and Graypaw watching on the sidelines, the other two apprentices then faced each other. Sandpaw snarled before launching herself at the black cat.

Ravenpaw stalled before flitting to the side and with a surprisingly hard paw slap to the face, sent Sandpaw crashing down into the soft sand. Sandpaw coughs and glares up at Ravanpaw before lashing out with her left paw and slamming it hard against Ravenpaw's chin. The scent and sight of blood dripping onto the sand alerted everyone to the fact that Sandpaw had her claws out.

What was Sandpaw doing?! There was supposed to be no claws when it came to training!

With her claws unsheathed, Sandpaw rushed at Ravenpaw, who lowered his head and braced himself, baring his fangs until the two collided. Over and over they rolled, clawing and biting with snarls and growls ringing out. Sandpaw ended the tussle by coming out on top, pinning Ravenpaw beneath her, the black furred tom narrowing his eyes in pain as Sandpaw leaned down, sinking her fangs into Ravenpaw's leg, digging in deep and deepening the smell of blood in the air. Firepaw watched with slightly dazed eyes, the scent of blood had her in a lull. It was so sweet to her. Lionheart, had to grit his teeth and sink his claws into the earth, his eyes shut tight and his breathing taking on a more labored tone. It was all he could do to keep himself from going insane!

Sandpaw gripped Ravenpaw hard in her jaws, shaking the skinny tom savagely and managing to ignore the pain of his claws at her muzzle as he tried to fight back. Releasing him from her jaws, as the dark furred apprentice apprentice tumbled, Sandpaw followed with a vicious claw swipe to the tom's head, striking dangerously close to Ravenpaw's eye. Ravenpaw managed to shove Sandpaw away with a kick of his hindpaws and scrambled to his feet, panting lightly. The pale ginger molly glared at him but didn't have long to stew in that anger when the smaller cat lunged forward, biting as hard as he could into her chest. He then pulled back hard, taking a chunk with him and spitting it out.

Sandpaw felt the pain wash over her and shut her eyes against it, when she opened them, Sandpaw's eyes blazed in fury. She charged at Ravenpaw with such a speed that the black cat couldn't hope to get away.

Sandpaw plowed into Ravenpaw, raising her claws and bringing them down hard and fast on the skinnier cat's body. Blood and fur began to litter the training ground as Snadpaw didn't stop, her blows becoming more and more violent and deadly with each passing second. Whitestorm screamed at Sandpaw to stop, saying the training was over but the molly didn't respond. Ravenpaw was starting to look more like a bloody ragged lump of flesh than a cat with each adding claw slash or bite. Firepaw was watching and while at first she was dulled too all that was happening but when she saw the pain and panic in Ravenpaw's eyes, Firepaw's head cleared and she rushed forward. Movement from the corner of her eye showed Graypaw running alongside her yet before they could reach her, Lionheart reached the molly first. He bared his fangs and plowed into Sandpaw, pinning her down harshly and snarling loudly. The pale molly tried to fight back against the warrior but Lionheart was having none of it.

"Enough! This has gone on for too long! You're going to Spottedleaf and I've shove that meat down your throat myself if I have to!" He then struck out with his fangs, biting into Sandpaw hard enough that her body went limp after a few seconds. When it he was over, he picked the apprentice up, maneuvering her on his back and carrying her back to the camp.

As he passed Tigerclaw, he looked to him, shaking his head. "Take Ravenpaw to Spottedleaf immediately. We can't waste anymore time." Tigerclaw did not hesitate and carried his apprentice as gingerly as he could, the young black cat having passed out from blood loss. The rest of the training group followed in silence, all of them subdued and unsure of what would happen to Ravenpaw and Sandpaw.


	19. Light and Shadows

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw snarled as Lionheart carried her to the medicine den, Tigerclaw was not to far behind, holding Ravenpaw as gently as he could. The two mentors had tried to send Whitestorm away, since well, he couldn't do much but the white furred warrior refused.

"Sandpaw is my apprentice, I have to be there for her." the large tom said, standing his ground and lightly glaring at the two demons who lowered their heads and relented.

Inside the medicine den, Spottedleaf was sorting herbs but when the group came in and Lionheart explained what happened, the healer sighed and flattened her ears. "I told her this would happened. She refused to listen. Alright, fine. We're out of options, we'll have to force her. The meat I had is no good now, we'll have to get some more _fresh_" the medicine cat then looked over at Whitestorm and the other two apprentices, narrowing her eyes.

"You all have to leave, Whitestorm, I know you care but...this is a sensitive matter. You can't help us. Tigerclaw, can you scout around for me? You told my brother and I once you knew the best places to hunt. Lionheart, can you carry Sandpaw? We'll need to be quick. But first," Spottedleaf let the den and came back with Willowpelt. The gray molly then curled up next to Ravenpaw, saying how she would protect him.

After that, the apprentices, Graypaw especially, were quick to leave, and Spottedleaf watched as Whitestorm reluctantly left them too. She then turned to the males, nodding to them. "Let's go."

Tigerclaw nodded and Lionheart picked up Sandpaw, who hung limply in his jaws before he maneuvered her on his back. He hoped that she would stay unconscious throughout the whole journey. He only hoped that it wasn't too late to help the young cat.

Tigerclaw led the way swiftly, picking his pace brisk but also allowing for Lionheart to not fall behind either. The group trekked quickly through Tallpines, barely stopping when they heard a Twoleg voices drifting towards them. Tigerclaw led them towards to the edge of the forest where there was rows of fences showing the boundary towards Twolegplace. Tigerclaw stopped here and sniffed around.

Spottedleaf and Lionheart also sniffed around, scenting quite a few cats around. Claws extended, they both started to follow a certain trail before before Tigerclaw called then back, his gaze sympathetic.

"There are normal cats that live in those tiny spaces, they seem to be looked by the Twolegs, their little toys. The Teolegs seem to care about them enough they would angry if anything happened to them. We have to go elsewhere."

Lionheart and Spottedleaf both looked at each other, then to the gardens behind the fences. The scent of cats was strong in most spaces and the pair felt the urge to hunt despite Tigerclaw's words. Tigerclaw saw this and narrowed his eyes, unsheathing his own claws. His fur bristled for a few moments before forcing himself back into calm and taking a deep breath. They would need guidance, they couldn't let themselves fall completely into their instincts. He would have to reign them in.

"Let's go!" he said, putting a bit of force into his voice, catching the pair off guard and putting their attention back on him. "It's not safe to hunt here, follow me and I'll take you to a much better area."

Lionheart growled softly before turning and following as Tigerclaw began to move, Spottedleaf following a second later. As the trio walked, back at camp, things were just as tense.

XxXx

Graypaw was telling all who would listen about Sandpaw's brutal attack on Ravenpaw, though she mostly kept it to the demons of the Clan, a few non demons listened in as well. One was Longtail who stayed in the back of the group then slipped away to tell Bluestar. He was certain that the leader would want to know about this, if the demons were attacking each other, perhaps this would be a good opportunity for them!

Darkstripe was just coming back from hunting, a rather big rabbit in his jaws. As he deposited his catch in the fresh kill pile, Graypaw;s voice drifted towards him. The dark furred warrior perked his ears and raised his head, catching snatches of what the younger cat was saying.

Battle training going wrong, Sandpaw attacking Ravenpaw and going way too far? The deputy lowered his head and closed his eyes. Sanpaw and Ravenpaw were at quarter demon and half demon respectively. He didn't know much about demons himself to deduce why Sandpaw who attack Ravenpaw, though he did know that lately the pale molly had been acting strangely and rather aggressive.

He had enough trouble trying to get normal cats to allow the demons to eat from the fresh kill pile and sleep in the dens. It still lead to fights over food and the demons still slept outside. Darkstripe tried talking with Bluestar, to get her to see what her Clan was turning into. But to his shock, Bluestar would only dismiss his worries, likening them to a simple rough patch that her Clan would soon get through.

Darkstripe knew that while there has been no fights yet, blood shed would soon come and he did not know what he could do to stop it. The deputy knew that something would have to give and he had to do his part to help mend the Clan of the rift that had formed. And to start, he would pull Graypaw away from her storytelling.

As he walked over the to budding storyteller, he found Willowpelt already speaking with Graypaw, after taking her away. The smaller gray cat was sitting with her head bowed and her shoulders hunched, Willowpelt's fur bristling and her eyes narrowed into angry slits.

"You shouldn't go on telling what has happened between Sandpaw and Ravenpaw! Things are tense right now, we don't need to give the other half of the Clan more reasons to think that we are nothing but savages! I know you are having a hard time with Sanpaw, but you must get over it, persevere, my dear. She's...just going through a rough time. Please understand that. You don't have to like her, but making her look bad to the others isn't the best way to handle it." Willowpelt then gently cuffed her kit then sent her out to hunt, nipping at her tail. Graypaw went running, a slight embarrassed smile on her muzzle as Willowpelt then turned back to guard Ravenpaw.

Darkstripe watched Graypaw go but soon noticed the new apprentice, Firepaw, sitting alone staring at her paws. Tilting his head, seeing that the molly looked bored, Darkstripe decided to try his paw and take the fire colored molly out for a hunting mission.

Darkstripe walked over to Firepaw, telling her of his plans and while the green eyed demon was skeptical of his intentions, she followed him anyway. Hunting with Darkstripe proved not to be so bad, the black and gray warrior seemed calm and praised her when she caught a sparrow already in flight.

The pair had wandered over towards the Thunderpath and Firepaw, scenting the rank air coming from it, crept closer. "Hey, what are you doing? Get away from there!" Darkstripe caught on to what Firepaw was doing and tried to call her back but the younger cat wouldn't listen.

Firepaw slinked up to the Thunderpath, hearing the distant rumble of a monster to her left side, good, it was still far away. With Darkstripe stomping towards her, Firepaw held out her paw and touch the Thunderpath. It was warm and some sticky but as she withdrew her paw, the apprentice happened to look up, on the other side of the forest on ShadowClan's land, a pair of eyes was watching her.

Firepaw stared at the eyes and watched as they blinked slowly and turn away, back into the shadowed forest. Firepaw didn't even mind when Darkstripe pulled at her scruff and dragged her a few paces away. It didn't matter to her, she had gotten to see her first ShadowClan warrior!

After that, Darkstripe herded Firepaw away from the Thunderpath and they continued hunting. The flame furred molly got to see ThunderClan's tree walking skills in action once more when Darkstripe chased after a squirrel, keeping up with it nimbly and finally batting it to the ground where t lay stunned until Darkstripe jumped down to finish it off.

"When do you think I will learn to do that?" Firepaw asked, looking up into the trees and sitting up on her hind paws when she saw another squirrel ran past. Darkstripe followed her gaze and smirked. "I was only a young kit when I climbed my first tree." he muttered with a tin smile, a small note of arrogance shining through, though Firepaw seemed to shrug it off. "You will learn in time, Lionheart and Tigerclaw are good mentors. Learn all that you can from them. Their wisdom is very vast."

At this, Firepaw turned to look at Darkstripe, who was now burying his kill and sniffing around, probably for more prey. The demon narrowed her eyes and stood on all four paws, her gaze darkening. "Do you truly believe that? Even though they are demons?"

The ThunderClan deputy paused, his face turned away from Firepaw before he moved to face her. "I believe that there is good, evil, and wisdom in all of us. Whether a cat is born a demon or not does not matter." Darkstripe said, his voice never wavering. Firepaw walked closer to him, not afraid.

"So, you don't fear us? You're not afraid of what we could do to ThunderClan?"

Darkstripe shook his head, snorting a humorless laugh. "Right now, you and your kin are the only noble light shining in ThunderClan. There is a darkness brewing in the others. For them, it's all dark, no light anywhere." He bowed his head for a moment before giving his pelt a shake.

"Well, come on then. Can't leave you lot unfed." Darkstripe said, going to fetch his other kills before coming back for the squirrel. Firepaw watched before picking up her bird and seeing a bit of sunlight shine down on Darkstripe. She tilted her head and let out a soft chuckle before following after him.

"At least there is one ThunderClan cat who still has light within them." she said to herself softly.

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the ultra late update. Work has been really putting me through the wringer with a lot of my co-workers calling out and me having to pick up their slack. I hope everyone is staying safe though. This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest but I still enjoyed writing it. As always, please enjoy.**


	20. Kin

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Tigerclaw led them further into Twolegplace, just on the outskirts of an large alley. There were less gardens here and more dens made out of stone. Lionheart took a moment to sniff around but seeing and smelling not but Twoleg stink made him stay in one place, the same could be said for Spottedleaf, who looked uncomfortable.

"Let's just hurry and help Sandpaw then go, this place...it'snot right." the molly muttered, shaking her head. Tigerclaw and nodded his head, heading for the the entrance of the alley.

"I'll try to be quick. There usually isn't much activity now, so you two should be safe. Just stay here and don't move. You'll be fine." Tigerclaw sad, giving the pair a certain look, narrowing his head before taking off.

Watching him go, Lionheart huffed then carefully maneuvered Sandpaw off his back, licking her cheek and settling next to her. He then turned his gaze onto Spottedleaf tilting his head and letting a bit of worry show through. "She'll be okay, right? We aren't too late, aren't we?"

Spottedleaf joined him, pressing her fur against his and nuzzling into Lionheart briefly. "No, not yet. But we must hurry, the signs are already showing. We can't put this off for any longer."

"And the others?" the male asked, staring all around, his tail twitching with uncertainty.

Spottedleaf looked down at her paws then shook her head, sighing. "If Tigerclaw means what he says, then we will have to bring the others here to hunt. WE can't...we can't risk attacking the others, even after everything that has happened."

Lionheart nodded at this, seeing what she meant. "We'll have to be careful, do this in groups. If we take the all of them with us..."

"It'll be harder to reign them in." Spottedleaf finished, flattening her ears. "Don't worry, you and I will think of something."

After a few more moments, Tigerclaw came back not just with one but two cats, one held firmly in his jaws and the other slung over his back. Spottedleaf and Lionheart both stood, confused, before the massive tabby dropped one of the cats in front of them and stood back.

"For you, you two can't tell me that you're not starving. Besides, it won't help Sandpaw for you to be hungry while she gets to eat. So, go on."

The pair only stared at the dead cat in front of then, a fairly plump black male, before hunger got the best of them and they dove for it, tearing into the body with snarls and fangs driving in deep. Tigerclaw sat a little away, knowing to not get too close. He didn't want to risk being bitten.

Soon, there was nothing left of the black cat but heavily chewed bones and scraps of fur. Lionheart let out a pleased growl, stretching and extending his claws. Spottedleaf was washing blood out of her fur, but looked content as while. As the pair were basking in feeling truly full in a while, Sandpaw began to stir.

The pale furred molly groaned softly and slowly got to her paws. When she saw Lionheart and Spottedleaf, she growled, baring her fangs. However before she could truly react, Lionheart pounced on her and held her down, putting his face close to hers.

"You're going to listen and do exactly what we say, Sandpaw. It's for your own good! Tigerclaw, now!"

Wit his cue, Tigerclaw dragged the other cat, this one a light brown and white tom, towards Sandpaw, who looked at it and scowled before biting into Lionheart's leg. The golden tom barely reacted before sinking his own fangs into Sandpaw's neck, causing her to hiss and yowl in pain, only then did Lionheart let go.

"You need to eat this, and if we have to shove down your throat, so be it." The massive male growled, his eyes narrowing. Sandpaw glared up at him, turning away from the slain cat. She wouldn't dare eat another cat, even as her belly rumbled loudly for food. "If you keep being stubborn, you'll starve and then you'll become the very monster the other cats fear us to be." Lionheart added, his voice softening a bit to try and convince the younger demon.

Sandpaw however, still snarled and tried to snap at Lionheart. Seeing that they wouldn't get anywhere with her this way, Tigerclaw tore a chunk out from the dead cat and with Lionheart's and Spottedleaf's help, pried the molly's mouth open and forced the piece of meat deep down her throat.

Sandpaw hissed and growled, thrashing wildly but the combined strength of the three cats forced her to remain cowed and soon she no choice but to swallow the meat or choke.

However as she was making up her mind on what to do, the taste of blood and the meat itself slowly started to get to her. Sandpaw's struggles eased, her claws sheathed and her fur began to lie flat. Her eyes widened for a moment, just staring as she chewed slowly. Then she swallowed.

The three older demons stepped away from Sandpaw and allowed her to rise. Slowly the pale furred molly stood and without any prompting, walked over the slain cat and fell upon it, tearing into it and gulping down as much meat as she could, often without hardly chewing.

When she ate her fill, Sandpaw turned away from the remains, there was still plenty more and Tigerclaw, seeing this, pulls the carcass away to finish up what was left.

Sandpaw had her back to him, her whole body was trembling. Blood from the dead cat dripped from her mouth but she did nothing about it. Her paws were also stained with this blood. Her trembling grew worse and Spottedleaf moved to lean close to the younger female, who let out a strangled cry and buried her face into the healer's chest.

"I...I... couldn't stop! It...it tasted so good! What's wrong with me?!" Sandpaw asked Spottedleaf, her body wreaked with guilt over what she had done.

Spottedleaf licked the young cat's head, her gaze soft with sympathy as she wrapped her tail around her. "Nothing, absolutely nothing. Sandpaw, you are not a monster, you're not. Do you think you're father is a monster? Lionheart? Me?"

Sandpaw flinched at that and looked up at the older cat, though swiftly turned away after she felt herself becoming lightheaded. "...No" she said after a moment, shaking her head. "But...if not a monster, then what does that make me?"

"Kin." Lionheart said, standing to his full height. "We are with you, Sandpaw. So long as you have us, you have nothing to fear. There are real monsters that you must face, some of them much closer than you ever wanted to be. If you want to see real monsters, than look no further than your Clanmates."

"But...Whitestorm-" Sandpaw tried to argue, though Lionheart cut her off.

"Is only one warrior. Do you think he could defend and protect us from a whole Clan?" At that, Sandpaw only bowed her head. Yet after a while, she looked up at Spottedleaf, her eyes still uncertain.

"Just...give me some time, please. Right now...I just want to go home." she finished quietly. The healer and the warrior both nodded to that and Lionheaert nudged Tigerclaw, who was brooding quietly from the shadows.

XxXx

The party made it back to the camp without incident and the first cat they saw was Ravenpaw. The black cat turned his head and was about to call out to them but then saw Tigerclaw and lowered his head. Sandpaw walked over to him and nuzzled him, wondering about his injury.

"I'm fine, just...tired." he muttered, keeping his eyes down. He then noticed something and sniffed along her coat. "Sandpaw...you smell like blood and fresh meat...did you?"

Sandpaw flinched but nodded all the same. Yet when she spoke, her voice was subdued. "Please, Spottedleaf and the others gave me time to think about it...and I really don't want to talk about it right now. I still feel like...I've done something wrong."

"I'll be here for you, Sandpaw. But let me say one thing. Don't hate who you are, there's nothing wrong with being born a demon." Ravenpaw said, giving the molly's cheek a quick lick. Sandpaw chuckled softly at that, her tail waving. "No...I suppose not...because of that, we...are kin." the molly said, to whick Ravenpaw smiled and playfully bit at her ear.

"We're right, and no matter what, your kin will look after you."

**A/N: Another short one guys, sorry. This one was mainly for Sandpaw to start to work through her demon linage and begin coming to terms with it. More of that in the coming chapters but I wanted to set the ground work for it. Hope you like and as always, enjoy.**


	21. A Daunting Task, A Surprising Encounter

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw stirred gently in her sleep, she was starting to get used to sleeping outside the apprentice's den. With Firepaw and Ravenpaw sleeping next to her, she was warm and content. Slowly she began to open her eyes and got to her paws, her movement causing Firepaw to wake as well. The paler molly looked over at the full demon, watching her yawn and give her body a little shake. She knew more that anyone about living as a true demon, without the Clan keeping her actions in check. Maybe Firepaw could help her.

Huffing softly, Sandpaw stood and nudged Firepaw, the fire furred female turning her eyes to Sandpaw, her darker green eyes with that little purple sliver catching the light just right. Despite the danger, Sandpaw couldn't help but stare and even when she felt her mind go slack, she couldn't look away, until Firepaw did for her.

"Well?" the younger cat asked, lowering her head and letting out another yawn.

"I...want to talk to you, I have to talk to you." Sandpaw muttered, while Firepaw only regarded her with a reserved, almost bored look. '_Say something, for StarClan's sake!'_ Sandpaw inwardly hissed before moving to lead the way to the camp entrance before a voice drifted towards them. It was Longtail.

"Where are you two little monsters heading to? Going to hunt and kill some poor innocent cat and eat their hearts?" the tabby sneered, his claws digging in the dirt.

Sandpaw sighed and turned her head away, while Firepaw only stared ahead towards the entrance. "You know, Longtail. It's been a long while since I've eaten...and right now even a stringy morsel like you is looking appetizing. You'd better run before I decide to eat your heart."

Her voice never went above a level drawl but the coldness within it sent Longtail stepping back and while he tried to jeer weakly, he was quick to turn and flee. Firepaw didn't turn to watch him scurry off, instead she began walking forward again, her tail raised. Sandpaw hadn't moved, her jaws were wide open, her eyes staring in shock.

Firepaw finally stopped, a good distance away and turned to face the pale molly. "Well, you coming?"

Sandpaw blinked and with a quick glance to see Longtail just disappearing into the warrior's den, she then rushed to join Firepaw, who merely walked at an even pace.

Sandpaw and Firepaw strolled through the forest, the Clanborn cat wondering if she could truly say what was in her heart to this wild creature before her. Firepaw hadn't spoken a word since her threat to Longtail and honestly the silence was beginning to become unbearable.

Sandpaw opened her mouth to speak when surprisingly Firepaw beat her to it. "I'm thinking of leaving this place."

Sandpaw stared at her, her eyes wide. Firepaw wasn't looking at her and Sandpaw had to walk around to her face but even looking straight at her, Sandpaw couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Why?" was all the pale molly could choke out and Firepaw blinked, her gaze once more giving nothing away. Sandpaw felt the urge to claw her, just to get a reaction.

Firepaw snorted softly and closed her eyes, turning her head away. "This group of cats, this Clan...is nothing like that family I once had. My father..." she trailed off as _finally_ some emotion has come to her face. Sadness.

Sandpaw flattened her ears and she remembered the strong male who rescued her as a kit. "Jake..."

"Yes. Even though it was just him and I, the closeness I felt with him was way more than anything this band of sneering, backclawing snakes ever showed." Firepaw hissed softly, the sadness being replaced with bitter contempt.

"That's not true!" Sandpaw growled, drawing herself up, her eyes blazing. "The Clan are NOT back-clawing snakes! We look out for one another!"

Firepaw stared at her, her eyes darkening for a moment before turning away. "Your Clan is fractured, split down the middle. One group is eking out a living on the very fringes while the other simmers in hatred and mistrust. Doesn't sound like a very unified group to me."

"But...but..."Sandpaw tried to think of something to refute what Firepaw said, but really she had a point. Her other Clanmates treated her and her kin like crowfood, was it really so wrong to see them in a bad light because of it? But then she remembered Lionheart's words. "We are kin! We can help one another through this! We can!"

"With the exception of your deputy and Whitestorm, I've seen very little evidence of that." Firepaw replied dryly. She then turned to face the forest, taking a deep breath. "My father used to tell me that sometimes even your kin won't be enough to help you. That sometimes you will have to walk your path alone."

"But...but you can't just leave!" Sandpaw protested weakly, flattening her ears in despair. "You...just can't."

"There is no one in that place urging me to stay." Firepaw muttered, shaking her head and taking a step forward. Sandpaw jumped at this and moved to block her path, her heart racing.

"And there is no one urging you to _go_! Please Firepaw! I...I don't leave you to leave! These last few days...you've been a comfort to me...I don't want you to go." Sandpaw then stepped closer to to Firepaw, rubbing her cheek against the other molly, Firepaw felt Sandpaw's body starting to shake.

"Please don't go! I would...I would feel lost without you!" Sandpaw muttered softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Firepaw didn't move, she could only feel Sandpaw nuzzling against her, her scent washing over her. She looked up into the trees, seeing the sunlight filter through them. In truth, she felt like she had to look after Sandpaw, the poor molly's eyes looked so empty and raw and she _did_ feel a bit of kinship with her, after all they both lost their fathers. But, other than that, there was so very little keeping Firepaw tied to the Clan. Really she would have liked nothing better than to tear most of the cats' throats out. None of them seemed to think that their demon brethren had beating hearts at all and wanted nothing more than to make Lionheart and the others suffer.

Firepaw snapped her jaws at the thought of having her fangs around Longtail's throat in particular. However the though vanished as she suddenly thought of how upset Sandpaw would. While she knew Sandpaw wasn't great friends with Longtail, Firepaw knew that she would still grieve if harm came to the irritating tabby.

Heaving a short sigh, Firepaw tilted her head towards Sandpaw, stepping away from her to look her dead in the eye. "You have until the next full moon to convince me that Clan life is worth staying in. You hear me, until the next full moon."

Sandpaw flinched at that and shook her head. "But that's only a week away!" she protested, her tail bristling at the tight deadline.

Firepaw had started walking onward and she didn't stop, even as she gave her answer. "Then you had better work fast!"

XxXx

Sandpaw walked back into camp, her jaws laden with prey. As she deposited it into the the fresh kill prey, her mind was tearing itself into knots. How was she going to convince Firepaw to stay? She looked up just in time to see Firepaw bring her own caught to the pile and in doing so was unfortunately enough to run into Longtail. The tabby snarled at Firepaw but when Sandpaw moved to stand beside her, the male narrowed his eyes, his claws coming out and growling.

However, he backed away when Bluestar came from the leader's den. The ThunderClan leader saw Longtail slinking off and turned her attention to the two apprentices. Sandpaw faced her leader but noticed her gaze looked hollow and disinterested and she stepped forward to try and bring her attention to her. Yet it didn't work as Bluestar remained quiet.

"I came to check on our newest apprentice, to make sure she is adapting well to Clan life. I'm sure you're taking good care of her, Sandpaw." Bluestar muttered, her voice coming out oddly flat as she spoke to them.

Firepaw sighed and shook her head, sitting down and turning her head away. "You haven't seemed interested in a while about how I was fairing. Why care now?"

Bluestar snorted at that but managed to keep her cool, her tail twitched as she copied Firepaw's sitting position. "I am the leader of this Clan, I have to take an interest in everyone's development."

"Then why haven't you done anything about the other cats forcing us to sleep outside our dens and nearly coming to blows with us every time we try to eat from the fresh kill pile? We've had to do our hunting and eat whatever we catch then and there to avoid starving!" Firepaw countered, her eyes growing steely as the fur on her neck and shoulders rose.

Bluestar narrowed her eyes, getting to her paws and sensing her anger but keep her face calm, Firepaw too, rose to meet her gaze. She didn't back down in the slightest. The Clan leader growled, showing her fangs and still Firepaw didn't yield. It took Sandpaw coming between them to keep from anything happening. She turned to give Firepaw a pleading look and the fire furred molly glared at her before turning away, heading out of camp and Sandpaw sighed, knowing that she probably couldn't talk any sense to her right now.

She heard Bluestar walking away, and looked just in time to see her leader speaking with Mousefur, her tail twitching. The smaller she-cat blinked but then nodded, walking away to do whatever it was that Bluestar needed of her. Sandpaw was too far away to hear but she caught the wicked gleam in Mousefur's eyes and shivering, feeling like things would get worse before they got better. Perhaps she should talk to Whitestorm or Darkstripe...

XxXx

Firepaw jumped through the trees, her breath coming out in pants as she leaped from branch to branch. Darkstripe had been showing her ThunderClan's tree jumping technique and the fiery cat had to admit, it was a lot harder than it looked. She stopped on a wide branch and sit down, licking a paw as her mind drifted to the conversation she had with Sandpaw.

Bluestar's action towards her was nudging her more and more to her decision to leave...but then she mpstly remembered just how...frantic and pleading Sandpaw got when she told the other molly she was leaving.

Firepaw could still feel the other's warmth against hers as Sandpaw had nuzzled against her. The thought made Firepaw sigh, Sandpaw...really didn't want her to go. But could one cat truly be enough to make her stay?

As she thought about it, an unfamiliar scent reached her and at first, Firepaw was going to ignore it. But then as the scent moved closer. Narrowing her eyes, Firepaw took in more of the scent, her ears flattening as she did so.

The scent, it was of a female cat, old, hungry. She smelled sick and in a very foul mood but...underneath that, there was strength and Firepaw lowered her head, baring her fangs. While she she felt no loyalty to most of ThunderClan, Lionheart, Sandpaw, and even Spottedleaf, she had to defend them!

Letting out a fierce growl, Firepaw leapt from the branch onto the cat below when she got withing range. The younger molly was met with a hissing, irate monster of a female and as Firepaw collided with her, it was like slamming headfirst into a tree.

While sick and bony, the older female effortlessly slapped Firepaw away, her claws raking hard against the young one's cheek. The force of the blow was enough to send Firepaw hurling towards a rock and knocking her senseless. As she tried to stop the world from spinning and wanting the ache to die down. Firepaw suddenly felt sharp thorn sharp claws digging into her back and long fangs piercing her shoulder, drawing blood as her body was then thrown into a tree, dazing her further.

Firepaw was helpless as she felt a claw tipped paw driving into her chest and she looked up to stare into the sneering eyes of a tattered long furred dark gray molly with a flattened face. The older female grinned, and despite her weakened state, she was truly massive, bony stature taking none of her size away.

"Ah, a puny apprentice," she rasped, licking her lips. "Easy prey for Yellowfang!"

Firepaw began to pant, her body burning from her wounds as she struggled in vain to free herself. Looking back at her attacker, she was stunned by what she saw. Along with the hard flint of orange, the color of her assailant's eye brightened on the bottom in the left, into a glowing, unmistakable ice-blue.

**A/N: Hey everybody, new chapter has arrived and so has Yellowfang! Love to hear what you think and as always, enjoy!**


	22. Yellowfang, Medicine Cat of ShadowClan

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Firepaw's eyes widened as realization started to dawn on her, and as the rumpled cat stared back at her, she seemed to note the same. But it was quickly dashed away as the molly who called herself Yellowfang shook her head and bit into her paw to fling her headfirst into another rock. The younger cat stayed down, stars dancing before her as the old female let a hacking laugh.

"You carry the scent of ThunderClan! What, are they so desperate that they would take on a weak bodied fool like you?" The dark gray molly jeered, yet her eyes narrowed as she stalked closer, her claws at the ready. This little one, could she really be...? Would ThunderClan truly house one of their sworn enemies? They always seemed so...forward in their hatred, even if they couldn't see what was right in front of them.

Yellowfang was now beside Firepaw and roughly rolled her over, even clawing her to bring her back to her senses faster. There was a trickle of blood flowing down the young apprentice's forehead, did that last blow kill her? Firepaw stayed limp, her breathing slow, which earned a scowl from Yellowfang.

"Perhaps I was wrong, maybe it was just a trick of the light. There's no way a pathetic runt like you could..." But before the larger cat could say anymore, Firepaw jumped to her paws, going straight at the bigger feline with a savage snarl.

Yellowfang lurched back and swiped out with her claws again, catching the smaller molly but unlike before, Firepaw pushed through it and stayed on her paws. She grappled with the ragged one, hooking her claws into the matted fur and nearly got tangled up in it before she bit into Yellowfang's muzzle. Hissing in rage, Yellowfang reared up on her hind legs and tried clawing at Firepaw to get her off, but the fiery cat would not let go. Even after her sides and head were slashed horribly, she wouldn't let go just yet.

She broke apart of her own accord after working one of her claws loose and shredding Yellowfang's ear, only to break into a run, away from the older female. Huffing softly, the larger cat licked at her wounds, feeling slighted that after all of that, this cat would just turn tail and run.

"Spineless, pathetic coward! Couldn't even stay and give me a real fight!" she snarled, dropping to all four paws and continuing on her wondering. She could feel her blood dripping from her wounds, but it was no pain she wasn't already used to. Still the blood falling into her eye from her torn ear was definitely becoming a nuisance, it wouldn't stop bleeding. Grumbling darkly about it, her intact ear then twitched and Yellowfang stopped, looking around. There was nothing.

As she started walking again, there was a rustle above her, looking up, Yellowfang though she saw a flash of red and tilted her head. Turning her gaze to the base of the trunk, the old cat sighed and walked over to begin her ascent.

As her claws dug into the bark, Yellowfang felt a sense of heaviness she never had before. After only a few minutes, her muscles were straining and Yellowfang felt like it was more than just her bulk working against her. By the time she got even to the lowest of branches, Yellowfang's claws ached and her shoulders burned. How did ThunderClan do it?

As she took a moment to catch her breath, too late she realized someone charging at her. With a grunt, she was pinned to the tree and had her leg bitten into. Firepaw tried to bite down to the bone but Yellowfang's hide and course fur were tougher than she thought and she settled with just tossing her off the branch, which even though it was low hanging one was still quite a distance down.

With a sickening thud, Yellowfang lay paralyzed and Firepaw glared down at her, waiting for this resilient female to get back up. And indeed she did but when she tried putting weight on her injured leg, she collapsed. Snorting with satisfaction, Firepaw leapt down gracefully to the ground, which Yellowfang watched with disdain.

"How does it feel getting tossed around, huh?" Firepaw growled, smirking in dark humor as she saw a flicker of pain flash in Yellowfang's eyes as she tried and failed to stand again.

Yellowfang hissed at her, even took a swipe when the younger molly got too close. In that instant, both looked into each other's eyes and this time there was no second doubting on Yellowfang's part. Seeing the truth, she let out a breath, and almost seemed to deflate, she was still rather huge but now she didn't seem like a monster.

"So...a demon in ThunderClan, or rather... an outsider demon in ThunderClan. How?" Yellowfang asked, her voice full of questions and wanting to seek answers. However Firepaw was rather tight lipped and stayed quiet, licking her wounds.

Her whole body throbbed, her head even more so and soon, she could barely hold herself up. With a groan, she then crashed to the ground, her breathing shaky and fast. Yellowfangg stared at the young one's prone form, narrowing her eyes. Perhaps, she should just leave, after all they had just got finished attacking one another. But as she forced herself onto three legs, Yellowfang couldn't find it in herself to just leave the unconscious apprentice alone like this.

Heaving a great sigh, the large molly limped back to Firepaw and wrapped her body around the smaller feline, carefully licking Firepaw's wounds, paying special attention to the split flesh on her head.

"An outsider demon in ThunderClan...what could have brought that Bluestar to make such a decision? Is that Clan starting to change it's views...or is it something more?" Yellowfang mused to herself, looking down at the young one laying against her. "And what part do you have to play in it, young kitten?"

Yellowfang stayed washing the kit's wounds as much as she could before tending to her own. Her leg was the thing that hurt the most, the pure savagery in even thinking of an attack like that made the old one smile. "Just like a ShadowClan cat." she mused, her tail twitching.

Eventually Yellowfang began to doze and for a while, it was quiet. But then some sound, some disturbance made Yellowfang's eyes open and she looked around, trying to find what it was that woke her. Her fur began to bristle as she noticed the sound fading away. Was she losing her touch? As she wondered over what was going on, she felt Firepaw stir beside her.

The flame colored molly wobbled to her feet, lightly shaking her head and wincing when she felt a stab of pain run through her.

"Easy there, unless you want to pass out again, don't be so quick to move." Yellowfang growled, turning her head away for she wasn't looking at the apprentice. Firrepaw snorted at that and slowly got to her paws, trying to will the earth to stop moving.

"Funny, I have a hard time thinking you care. After all, you did chuck me into a rock and tried to split my head open." the young one added with a barely subdued hiss.

Yellowfang's muzzle twitched with the beginnings of a smirk before she schooled her features into a neutral expression. "I can say the same when you pushed me out of that tree. You were trying to break me!"

Firepaw snorted at that, a tiny smirk on her muzzle. "Fair enough." She then looked herself over and titled her head. "You...cleaned my wounds... Why?"

Yellowfang snorted and rolled her eyes. "Instinct," she groused, her claws digging in the dirt. "I couldn't let a fellow demon have their wounds get infected. No more, no less."

Firepaw huffed at that but then saw Yellowfang try and lift herseelf but fall back into a grunt. She could see that the gray molly's leg was being held at a strange angle. She also heard the older cat's belly growled and narrowed her eyes. Just then, her own belly started to rumbled and she grunted before getting to her paws. "Wait here."

Firepaw then turned to stumbled further into the forest, trying to keep her paws steady. Eventually Firepaw held up long enough that she was able to walk without feeling like she was going to keel over. She passed a long dead rat and curled her lip, food like that was only fit for cats like Longtail. She sniffed the ground, hoping that she could find something and after a long while of coming up with nothing, she thought of going back to collect the dead rat.

Firepaw instantly shook her head at that and narrowed her eyes. A sick, weakened cat like Yellowfang needed fresh meat. She had to press forward. Then the wind changed and Firepaw caught the scent of a rabbit. Following the scent, Firepaw came across a rather plump rabbit and into the hunter's crouch. The rabbit had its back turned and Firepaw bared her fangs before lunging for the rabbit.

The fiery apprentice tumbled with the rabbit but managed to come out on top, swiftly snapping its neck and carrying it back to Yellowfang. The elder cat looked at the rabbit and huffed but pulled herself into a sitting position and took the first bite of the slain rodent while Firepaw busied herself with licking her fur back into place. Suddenly she felt a slight nudge at her leg before looking down, seeing the rabbit next to her.

Her gaze transferred to Yellowfang who stared back with no real emotion on her face. "I can hear your belly growling. Eat. At least enough to stop you from passing out again. Eat."

Firepaw looked down at the half eaten rabbit before taking a few bites and pushing the rest to the older cat. The pair shared the meal in silence before Firepaw's ears twitched and she looked up, the sound of many paws pounding the earth came to her. Yellowfang heard it too, but she narrowed her eyes, her fur bristling and her claws digging into the dirt. If it came down to it, she wasn't going to run, she would rather die fighting. Firepaw had to admire her courage and stood in front of the elder, even as the cats approaching consisted of Bluestar, Darkstripe, Longtail and surprisingly, Ravenpaw.

Bluestar glared at the remains of the rabbit before turning that frosty glare over to Firepaw, who stood her ground, her posture straight and unafraid.

"So, Firepaw, do you want to explain to me why you smell of fresh kill? And why you have no food with you to feed the Clan?" Bluestar growled, her hackles raising over the lack of remorse in the demon's eyes, though even she couldn't look long into them.

"I fed her, and you should be happy that she at least tried to stop me. With how long it took for you to get here, I could have killed her and anyone else I please before you even knew what happened." Yellowfang shot back with a hint of a growl. She turned to Firepaw, winking at her. "This little whelp put up a decent enough fight, been a long since I had a fighter came at me with everything they got. A warrior like her needs her strength. I thought that was something you valued, Bluestar."

The pale furred molly narrowed her eyes at the other before recognition dawned on her and she smirked, turned back to Firepaw, her eyes glittering with snide amusement. "Well, Firepaw, looks like you've done something useful after all. You've fought and managed to subdue ShadowClan's medicine cat!"


	23. Prisoner

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

ShadowClan's...medicine cat? The words swirled in Firepaw's head and she stayed still, blinking. Yellowfang narrowed her eyes at Bluestar as the leader took a few steps closer, snapping her jaws loudly in warning. The paler molly huffed crossly but soon looked to her newest apprentice, her eyes taking on a thoughtful look.

"This will need to be addressed by all the Clan, Longtail, Darkstripe, surround her! We're going back home. And Firepaw...try not to wander off. Ravenpaw, claw her if she does." Bluestar added with a growl, giving the black furred tom a certain look. Ravenpaw lowered his head but gave his leader a tiny meow of agreement, his paws shuffling.

Firepaw blinked to the other demon as Bluestar turned her back and the patrol began to head out, giving him a slight nudge as Ravenpaw shook his head. "I don't...I won't hurt you, whatever Bluestar says."

"I know," Firepaw answered, her voice calm as she then started to follow after the rapidly distancing patrol.

As the two younger cats walked together, Firepaw looked up at the sky and to the clouds, her eyes taking in all the different shapes. She sighed softly, idly thinking of what she told Sandpaw and of what just transpired. Perhaps...a week is too long. Her paws itched to claw at more than a few cats and Bluestar was turning out to be chief among them.

Firepaw then stopped walking, her claws digging further and further into the earth. Ravenpaw noticed this and turned to Firepaw, tilting his head. "Firepaw?"

The ginger molly ignored the black cat for a moment, closing her eyes as quite a few thoughts ran through her mind. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, looking straight at Ravenpaw, a small smile on her muzzle before she sighed and shook her head.

"I'm fine, Ravenpaw. Let's go before Bluestar rakes our ears for falling behind. No need for you to get in trouble, right?"

"Right."

The two walked together, back at the camp where cats were already gathered. As usual, the Clan was separated and the two apprentices were quick to take their place beside Sandpaw and Graypaw. Ravenpaw looked up to see Bluestar speaking with Darkstripe before she beckons Yellowfang closer to the Highrock then calls the Clan's attention.

"Today, one of our apprentices has made a surprising discovery. She has found and even fought with Yellowfang, the medicine of ShadowClan! Due to her injuring this young cat and having the strength to do so despite her age, I have decided that ThunderClan would be holding her prisoner!"

Yellowfang narrowed her eyes, her fur bristling at the announcement. She glared up at Bluestar, satisfied when the leader looked away. "As if you could hold me prisoner! I am a warrior of ShadowClan! I will never bow to you or your warriors!" Here Yellowfang then smirked, her tail flicking to Bluestar's separated ranks, particularly to the demons' side of the divide. "Seems like you have a bit of a morale issue here, Bluestar. I can only guess as to why? I suppose that you would treat me like scum then, since I am one of them!"

Amid gasps and yowls of shock, Yellowfang struggled to her paws, her legs trembling but she remained standing. She glared around the Clan while turning that glare to Bluestar, who stood, her claws scraping the rock.

"I will not hide in the darkness! I will not cower and beg forgiveness for what I am! I am a demon of ShadowClan and proud of it! Any of you who has a problem with that, step up now and prepare to die!" Yellowfang's snarl echoed through the Clan and no one moved, stunned by the bold decree.

It was Firepaw who took the first step, standing beside the older gray cat and bowing her head. "You have nothing to fear. I won't let any of them hurt you!"

Yellowfang looked down on the small apprentice before a smile broke upon her muzzle. She then gave Firepaw a hearty nudge that nearly toppled the young molly. "Who says I'm afraid, young one? If any of those fools step up to me, they will find themselves missing eye or paw."

Bluestar's fur was bristling, her fangs were bared as she snarled at the pair. "Silence! I will not have you threatening my Clan! You, Firepaw! For breaking the warrior code, you will be confided to camp and placed under guard! And since you think you can eat before the Clan, I hope you've had enough because that will be your last meal for the next three days! As for you, Yellowfang, you will be placed under guard as well. Lionheart! You will be one to contain her. If she makes one wrong move, kill her!"

Her decree made the demons and even a few of the normal cats narrow their eyes, chief among them Whitestorm and surprisingly Runningwind. What was the point of keeping Yellowfang prisoner if Bluestar was so quick to order her death if she stepped out of line? Why not kill her now?

"She's slipping," Tigerclaw muttered to himself, Ravenpaw, Lionheart and Spottedleaf were close enough to hear and all stared at the massive tabby, each having their own thoughts running through their heads. "Soon there will be nothing left."

He then stood and muttered something about going out hunting. The others watched him go but all felt suddenly uneasy and bent their heads close together. Ravenpaw then started to tremble, knowing what Tigerclaw must be feeling and struggled to force himself to remain calm. Lionheart looked down on the young apprentice but before he could speak, Bluestar beat him to the punch.

She had started to pace around Firepaw, glaring at the apprentice while the fire colored molly stood her ground, not cracking in the slightest under the leader's smoldering gave. Bluestar sneered at this before growling at the the younger molly.

"You better watch yourself, Firepaw. You seem to be getting a little too comfortable doing whatever you wish. I'll be watching you closely from now on!"

Firepaw only blinked, not raising to the bait as she then got to her paws to walk over to Yellowfang, helping the older demon construct a nest near the elder's den and asked her if she would like anything. The gray medicine cat only smirked and nudged Firepaw with her claws out, though there was no malice in her actions.

"Good see if you can get me some poppy seeds from that pretty medicine cat of yours, I'm sure she would also have some coltsfoot as well. I have to be careful, there was a crazy apprentice who attacked me, I need to make sure I can recover and be ready for if I am attacked again."

Firepaw chuckled softly at this before turning to do as Yellowfang asked, the young demon felt like she would be able to get along with the older cat and decided that since she's going to be stuck in the camp for the next three days, she could look after Yellowfang.

As she walked towards Spottedleaf's den to get the herbs she needed, she noticed Bluestar and Darkstripe heading for the leader's den. The tom looked relatively calm and thoughtful while Bluestar was clearly on edge, however she didn't stop to think about it, it was none of her business.

XxXx

Darkstripe sat in his leader's den, watching her pace back and forth, his eyes narrowed. Bluestar's claws were unsheathed, her hackles were raised and every so often, her nostrils would fare in a agitated snort.

When it finally looked like she wasn't going to speak, the dark furred deputy opened his jaws, getting the leader's attention on him. "Bluestar, we need to talk about your treatment of the demons in our Clan. Quite frankly, it's tearing our Clan in two. You have done nothing to stop the other cats from the demons food, they have to hunt and eat whatever they can outside of camp. There have been fights breaking out and you do nothing to punish the normal cats when they are the aggressors! For StarClan's sake Bluestar, the demons are being forced to sleep outside of the dens, exposed to whatever the elements throw at them! You need to stop this and stop this now!"

Bluestar paced for a few more seconds before turning to Darkstripe, her eyes blazing. "Redtail and Spottedleaf are the only ones that told me! I only knew because they told me about it. How many more secrets are the rest hiding?! What more are they keeping from me?"

"Bluestar, that may be but you can't-" Darkstripe tried to speak but Bluestar cut him off with a savage snarl.

"They betrayed me! Betrayed ThunderClan! Spottedleaf and Redtail vowed to me that they would never eat any cats and yet they do it, revealing themselves to the whole of RiverClan! How can I trust any of them?"

"So this is your plan? Punishing them for something out of their control?! Then why even keep Yellowfang in our midst?"

"ShadowClan would so anything to get their medicine cat back. Imagine the territory or the prey they could give us! That is her only use to me! If it weren't for that, I would have left her to rot. The only use these demons have to me is as a fighting force. Demons are strong, I could send them out for battle while my warriors are at a safe distance. That is the only reason they stay within ThunderClan."

Darkstripe's eyes widened in disgust and he shook his head, backing away from Bluestar. "You only see them as a fighting force! Bluestar, whatever your fears, Lionheart, Spottedleaf, all of them, they are our Clanmates!"

The dark furred warrior then turned, leaving Bluestar alone. As he exited out of the den, he heard someone rush off and after sniffing around, Darkstripe realized it was Tigerclaw. Was he lisenting in on them? Shaking his head, he walked over to where Lionheart and Sandpaw was talking and noticed the pair gave him rather reserved looks. Darkstripe tried his best to ignore it.

"Listen, the fresh kill pile is getting low and I was wondering if you would like to go on a hunting patrol with me?"

Sandpaw snorted and turned her head away while Lionheart, only grunted. "Are you sure you want to go hunting with the monsters? Don't you feel threatened by us?"

"I don't. And I don't think none of you are monsters." Darkstripe replied evenly but perhaps Lionheart didn't think he was speaking the truth as he turned his back.

"I'm sorry, Darkstripe, but I have to go train Graypaw. You should look elsewhere if you want to go hunting." As the massive tom moved to leave, Sandpaw followed after him, keeping close by his side.

Darkstripe watched them go and sighed, hanging his head. "Seems like the lines have already been drawn. Bluestar doesn't trust them and I might have lost my chance for them to trust me..." 


	24. ShadowClan's First Moves

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

As Darkstipe was made to have Runningwind and Longtail join his patrol, Firepaw was rattling off the herbs Yellowfang needed to get to Spottedleaf. The healer worked quietly, her paws moving as if in a daze when she turned to look Firepaw straight in the eyes. Being half demon, she had no fear when it came to looking at the younger cat and Firepaw could just have much was troubling her.

"This Clan is not what it used to be. Funny how one detail is enough to turn a untied entity in on itself. I fear that soon, ThunderClan might be no more. Firepaw...I know you don't have much love for this Clan but I want you to know something... Before you arrived, StarClan, our warrior ancestors, sent a message to me. They told me that only with the sand's guiding storm can fire blaze and save our Clan."

Firepaw stood still, the way Spottedleaf spoke, there was a heaviness and a sense of power to it that even she could not ignore. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

Spottedleaf smirked at that, her tail flicking. "Perhaps because it's a message of hope. Or ruin. Maybe a warning that our Clan is doomed or that we will rise from this dark time and become stronger because of it. Even I do not know at this point. Maybe...maybe ThunderClan's time is up. Maybe...StarClan has lost hope for us."

The flame colored molly narrowed her eyes and after a bit of hesitation, moved forward to touch her nose to Spottedleaf's. The medicine cat's eyes widened at this then relaxed a little, allowing the contact.

"You care for your Clanmates, even the ones who don't deserve your compassion. Even I can see that it would break your heart to see ThunderClan fall to ruin. And even if it does come to pass, I only you would still be here to care for them. If...if things really do get so bad...I will help you. You and Lionheart and Sandpaw and the rest. I _will_ help you!"

Spottedleaf pulled away from Firepaw and tilted her head, Firepaw had no it no secret that she was not acclimating well to Clan life and this declaration that she would help them puzzled her.

Firepaw seemed to realized this and smirked. "You Clan is not loyal to one another, there are those who would turn on you. However you demons have shown loyalty to one another, helping as much as you can. So in seeing that, I will help you. It is the least you deserve."

Spottedleaf blinked at this, her gaze turning tender. "Thank you." she muttered quietly as Firepaw nodded in response.

The moment was gone when an ear piecing yowl from Yellowfang came and Firepaw sighed softly, her tail twitching. Yet before she said anything, Spottedleaf turned to get the herbs the ShadowClan cat wanted all this time. "Tell her to be careful with them. A little pain can be useful, it'll tell me how well her wounds are healing."

Firepaw nodded to this and quickly set off to give the grumpy molly her herbs. Yellowfang took the herbs without any word, applying them herself with ease while Firepaw watched her with rather small interest. The older cat realized that the apprentice wasn't going to go away any time soon, besides it's not like she had that much to do, confined to camp as she was.

Sighing softly, Yellowfang turned her orange gaze onto the younger demon, the sliver of blue covering the bottom portion of her eye glinting in the sun. "So, what's your story, young one? I must admit, I'm surprised seeing just how many demons are in this Clan. What, with how your leader is acting and how the Clan itself is divided so."

Firepaw was surprised by how much Yellowfang seemed to take in and was just barely able to keep from smirking. "You noticed all of that is such a short time, I'm impressed. As for Bluestar, don't ask me. I wasn't born in this Clan. My family was born near the mountains, near a barn. My father moved us here because the hunting was easier...the cats here were thick enough to make a decent meal."

Yellowfang snorted at that, her whiskers twitching. "You're not wrong in that regard. But that doesn't explain why you're _here_."

Firepaw flattened her ears at that and closed her eyes. "My father, who took care of me, was killed. I had no one left. Sandpaw was the one who found me and after a fight, she talked to Bluestar to allow me to join. That was a few weeks ago but now..."

"Now you want to leave." Yellowfang finished for her, shaking her head. "I can see that and I haven't even been here for more than a few hours. Seems like you do have a bit of brains in that head of yours."

Firepaw gave the older demon a small smirk and surprisingly gave her a small nudge with her claws out. Yellowfang smiled and retaliated with a harmless bite to the youngster's paw. After trying to get her paw free, Firepaw took a swipe to the older one but Yellowfang, despite her injures was fast and dodged her blows. She let go of Firepaw's paw and gave the apprentice a light headbutt, pinning her down.

As the younger molly tried to wriggle free, Yellowfang wasn't having it and let out a rusty of triumph to which Firepaw simply rolled her eyes before waiting for the older cat to get off her. Once she did, Firepaw gave her chest fur a few licks before noticing movement in the corner of her eye. It was Sandpaw and Ravenpaw. Graypaw, she noticed, was a slight distance away, watching them with a engaged expression. She wanted to be there but still seemed wary of Sandpaw.

Yellowfang narrowed her eyes at the other apprentices and it was Ravenpaw who eased her fears. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you, we just came to check on Firepaw."

"As if a tiny thing like you _could_ hurt me. I'm the great Yellowfang!" the large demon molly boasted, her tail sticking straight up in arrogance.

Ravenpaw huffed softly but did nothing other than hunch his shoulders. Sandpaw's whiskers were twitching in suppressed amusement and even Graypaw was trying to stifle her laughter. Firepaw was smirking herself though it vanished when she noticed Bluestar taking Mousefur and Runningwind out with her, probably for a patrol. She then noticed Patchpelt going along with them. Strange, why did Bluestar want to take him with her, she knew Patchpelt was a demon.

She was then distracted and turned her head to see Spottedleaf moving along from one warrior to the next though the ginger furred molly noticed that she was only talking to the demons and half demons of the Clan before running off to the other side of camp. Sandpaw and the others seemed to notice too but they didn't comment. Instead, they slowly got up, bidding the pair farewell. Sandpaw lingered for a moment, pressing her nose to Firepaw's, who didn't pull away and looked into the other's eyes for as long as she could.

The two stayed unblinking for a few more heartbeats before the paler female closed her eyes. "I'll try to get you some food later." she whispered softly before going off with Ravenpaw and Graypaw.

Firepaw said nothing and sat watching her, her expression clouded but for some reason, she felt light and happy. She didn't even notice Yellowfang smirking to herself and shaking her head.

"Ah, to be young again." she muttered to herself.

Firepaw finally got herself out of her daze to give the older female a look and tilted her head. It was clear that she hadn't heard her but she looked curiously at the healer. Yellowfang saw this and flicked her tail, inviting the other to speak.

"Why...did you leave your Clan? Bluestar said that you were the medicine cat, you're needed by them. Why would you just up and leave? It's obvious that living the life of a loner isn't for you, you were starving and in pretty bad shape."

Yellowfang turned her head away at the question, her orange eyes narrowing. Firepaw could see her fur bristling but she didn't back away. "I left because...it wasn't the Clan I knew anymore. The shadows for which we were named have crept into their very hearts. We have had our own since of nobility but now, the Clan I used to fight for has become nothing more pack of slavering, black hearted devils! I cannot and I will not stand with them anymore!"

"He was the one to change them. It is all because of him...all because of me..." She added, much more quietly, to the point Firepaw was just barely able to make out the words.

But Yellowfang's fur had now lie flat and her eyes were downcast. She had started sliding her claws in ans out and her ears started to lie flat. Firepaw saw many emotions flash through her eyes; anger, pain, regret, and finally sorrow. That emotion lingered for far longer and Firepaw felt something shift inside her towards the older cat. She got up and pressed her body against Yellowfang's side, nuzzling her gently.

The older cat stiffened at first but slowly, her body began to relax and she turned her head towards Firepaw, a tiny, almost inaudible purr rumbled from deep in her chest. The pair stayed like this until well into the night where they then lie curled together in sleep.

XxXx

Bluestar walked stiffly through her territory, Darksptripe's words causing her to walk with her claws out and her tail lashing every few seconds. Mousefur and Runningwind kept as much as a distance as they could from their leader. Though they sensed that her currant mood had nothing to do with them, the pair didn't want to be any where near her if her mood was set off. IT was so bad that they stayed closer to Patchpelt, as if the large warrior would be able to protect them.

How dare he side with _them_?! Didn't he realize how dangerous they could be?! They should consider themselves lucky that they were allowed to stay in the camp! Bluestar snarled and clawed at a tree as these thoughts ran through her head, for a moment the tree turned into black and white fur, in her mind Patchpelt was yowling in pain as she shredded him. A small smile came upon Bluestar's muzzle as the fantasy slowly faded away. Her actions caused Runningwind, Mousefur, and Patchpelt to flinch. Bluestar didn't notice. Or rather, she didn't care.

Bluestar then sat putting away her rage for a moment to focus on her task, looking around her and noticing that while she was _preoccupied_ her paws had taken her to the edge of Fourtrees, the meeting spot where all four Clans met for the Gathering. She could easily smell three of the four Clans but her eyes narrowed when she noticed that the fourth Clan, WindClan bore no scent.

Leaping down the small cliff, the ThunderClan leader and her warriors walked closer and closer to WindClan's territory and got as far as they could without actually crossing the border. The scent of WindClan was faded and they didn't see one WindClan cat come to speak to them.

Instead there was an overwhelming scent of ShadowClan, along with the scent of blood that hadn't been worn away. Taking a gamble, Bluestar told her warriors that they would be going into WindClan to scout things out. Now she was glad she decided to bring the demon along, Bluestar was starting to feel uneasy and she knew the black/white demon's size and strength would be useful.

ShadowClan's scent and the smell of blood were all around them as they walked further into WindClan's land. Here and there the patrol found signs signs of a battle and Bluestar narrowed her eyes, while there was no bodies, the amount of blood staining the ground lead her to believe that the fighting was fierce.

After a bit, she called her warriors and the demon to a halt to turn back. The three nodded and Patchpelt himself took a step towards Bluestar, herself flattening her ears as he got closer. Patchpelt tried not to look hurt and remained neutral.

"Bluestar, I think that you should mention this to the Clan. We have scouted WindClan out for a bit now and have seen no warriors. There's ShadowClan scent everywhere. Perhaps...perhaps ShadowClan drove them out! We need to be prepared, just in case. We can't end up like WindClan."

"You don't think I know that?" Bluestar growled harshly, making Patchpelt take a step back and while they were put off earlier by Bluestar's mood, the pair did snicker at his misfortune. "We will head back to camp immediately. You, Patchpelt will act as a rear guard, keep a lookout for things. Right then, let's go!"

Ad the patrol was making it back to their own territory, Patchpelt heard something rustle in the bushes beside them. The smell of blood had somehow gotten stronger and the demon tom narrowed his eyes before he suddenly saw a flash of fangs creeping towards Bluestar.

"Look out, Bluestar!" as he called out to his leader, he dashed forward, pushing her away and sending her tumbling to the ground away from him. In the same instant, he felt long claws pierce his fur and sharp fang dig into his body.

Three cats, all much, much bigger than even he swarmed him and soon Patchpelt was engulfed by them. Runningwind and Mousefur were at Bluestar's side as Patchpelt was attacked but Bluestar never gave them any order to attack. The scent of ShadowClan was clear now and the ThunderClan leader even recognized two of the three cats fighting Patchpelt. Quickly, Bluestar got to her paws and turned around, heading towards her own camp. Runningwind and Mousefur hesitated before following, leaving Patchpelt to his fate.

The burly black and white tom had just now managed to break free and give his opponents some nasty wounds in return for the pain they had caused him. He snarled and swiped as hard as he could, his strength not leaving him and in the heat of the moment, his paw caught one of the cat's head, snapping it at an odd angle and the cat fell, never to raise again. He told himself that now the ShadowClan cats were outnumbered and Bluestar and the others would chase these two off.

However, Patchpelt soon realized that he was alone and he looked up to see Bluestar and the others running off, leaving him behind. Patchpelt's eyes widened and forgetting himself, he dropping his fighting stance. Bluestar...was leaving him behind? No, that can't be right. She was just trying to get the ShadowClan cats to chase her and the others. But after a few seconds it became clear that she wasn't coming back and Patchpelt just stared, his eyes wide.

"Bluestar...?" It was the last thing he would ever say as the two ShadowClan cats leapt at him, Patchpelt falling to their fangs, he didn't even have the will to defend himself.

**A/N: Well, Bluestar just left the cat that saved her to die. Oh, you know things aren't going to be looking good for her now. Especially when Willowpelt finds out. See you there and as always, enjoy.**


	25. In the Shadowed Forest

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Bluestar, Runningwind, and Mousefur kept running. The ThunderClan leader had looked back, just in time to see Patchpelt get torn apart by the ShadowClan warriors. How were they all so impossibly big?! Despite losing the will to fight, getting torn to shreds still hurt and Patchpelt's dying screams echoed throughout the forest.

"Aren't we going to help him?!" Mousefur asked, surprising even herself. But they were running away...even to Patchpelt, it felt...wrong.

"Patchpelt can handle himself! Just keep running!" Bluestar hissed, her breath coming out in quick pants, her eyes wide.

Mousefur found herself wincing and risked a peek, just the see ShadowClan taking Patchpelt, or what remained of him, away to their part of the forest. "No, stop!" the words came out before Mousefur could stop them. Despite everything, Patchpelt was brutally attacked and he _did_ save Bluestar! The small molly skidded to a halt and turned around, racing back and ready to go back to the black and white tom, but Bluestar slammed into her pinning her down and hissing in her face, her blue eyes blazing in fear and anger.

"There's nothing we can do for him now! Just follow me and keep running! There's no hope for him!"

As the trio raced back to their own territory, back near the WindClan border, the other patrol were walking back with their burden.

XxXx

The three ShadowClan warriors carried Patachpelt's body to their side of the border, deep with the pine trees there was a small dip in the land protected from all side by sharp looking thorn bushes. Two more cats stood guard and glared at the arrivals before shifting to the side to allow them to pass once they saw the burden they carried. Inside the barrier was ShadowClan's camp.

Once again, the patrol dragged their victim to the heart if the camp, towards where a pile of kills were. Beside the pile were two cats, both toms, both were twice the size of most of the cats in camp and the slightly smaller of the two got up to inspect what the patrol has brought. Dried blood caked their fur into spikes, with the larger cat having his white pelt turn almost black in some places, but he didn't seem to mind.

The smaller tom, a dark brown male with a tail that was bent in the middle. He at first looked at the other pieces of prey, a bird, some mice, and two frogs, and scowled, throwing his head back and shouting, loud enough for all cats to hear.

"Who has brought this crow-food to me? Come forward to face me! You know the rules of ShadowClan!"

A few of the cats winced and one gray tabby tom, much, much smaller than the rest stepped forward withe his tail dragging and his head down. The long furred, dark brown tom wasted no time in viciously clawing at the young cat, sending him crashing into the ground his face bleeding heavily. The tiny tom barely had time to gasp in pain as the long haired tom jumped on him, biting into his shoulder.

Most of the other cats turned their away though the other white furred male stood, his amber eyes flashing with a flint of green covering his bottom portion of his left eye. "Brokenstar...I believe Wetpaw has learned his lesson. He'll be useless to us as a lump of flesh. Let him go."

The dark brown furred tom, Brokenstar, narrowed his eyes at the white tom his orange eyes glaring into his. Those eyes were familiar and covered in the left with flecks of blue. He turned back to the younger cat who was trembling harder and whimpering softly, only to give him a harsh bite on the shoulder, there was a snap of bone and Wetpaw let out a horrifically painful wail before finally Brokenstar stepped away from him.

"Be lucky that I'm feeling merciful, now get out of my sight!"

The small apprentice struggled to limp away and Brokenstar watched hhim go before returning to the fresh kill pile where he swiped at the prey Wetpaw caught in disgust. He looked down at the multilated Patchpelt, digging his claws into what remained of the warrior's face to bring it to his own. He saw the clouded color of the black/white tom's eyes and frowned when he saw the tell tale sign of a full blooded demon in the dead one's left eye.

"ThunderClan is harboring full blooded demons in their midst? Interesting. I would have thought that Bluestar would have have them all turned out." Brokenstar mused to himself, the large tom next to him looked up and blinked, he expression thoughtful.

"Demons that live in the Clans are nothing new, Brokenstar. In order to live, some of us have integrated into the Clans with little problem. It was just a matter of proving ourselves useful and...bending the truth of our origin. Only the foolish ones who couldn't be bothered to hide what they were were be driven out or killed. Seeing this, it was easier to just keep quiet and let the Clans think that they have been rid of us for good. Of course, only ThunderClan and RiverClan seem to have the most problems with demons. The self righteous fools." the white and black tom replied, barely able to hold a sneer from coming to his muzzle.

Brokenstar looked over at the cat, his deputy and smiled, walking over to him. He had stooped down and brought what remained of Patchpelt to drop him at the other's black paws. "Blackfoot, my most loyal warrior, care to share this meal with me? There's enough to share. I wish to talk more of ThunderClan's demon "problem". Perhaps...we of ShadowClan can help Bluestar, after all, she has made it quite clear that she does not like demons in her midst."

The deputy of ShadowClan, Blackfoot, smiled while biting into Patchpelt's flesh, his tail twitching. "My dear Brokenstar, I would be honored to do such as you ask myself. What better way to find out about your than to scope right by their stomping grounds?"

Brokenstar purred at this, brushing his tail along Blackfoot's, the action seemed to pleased the somewhat older tom, if his own purring was any indication. "Go at once as soon as the shadows at at their deepest. And if anyone even thinks of getting close to you, kill them and bring them here, no matter who they are. My Clan needs to be fed, Blackfoot."

The larger tom dipped his head, his forehead neatly grazing the blood soaked paws of his leader. "Of course, Brokenstar." Together, they then shared in their grisly meal, speaking in low tones of future plans.

XxXx

Deep in the night, Blackfoot traversed though the forest on ThunderClan's side, using ever bit of shadow he could find. He used the darkness and wore it like a second pelt, his steps were light, nearly unheard and his breath even more so. He knew his mission and he would not fail Brokenstar. Of course, this first mission was easy, simply scout out ThunderClan.

He sat quite close to the ravine, under the rather deep shadow of an oak tree and had no worry of anyone seeing him. Like all the cats of his Clan, the shadows were his friends and hid him well. Though even then he relished in his orders to kill if he was somehow spotted through the veil and made sure his claws were sharp just in case.

Blackfoot set about moving ever closer to ThunderClan's camp, coming to sit right at the edge of their camp when he heard Bluestar's voice ring out into the night, calling for a Clan meeting. Narrowing his eyes, Blackfoot settled down to wait. It soon became clear to him that the Clan was divided, something he knew Brokenstar would be interested in.

Looking to one group, he had a feeling they were demons, their size was one indicator and then he saw the molly that spoke eyes, the dual coloring in her left eye was dead giveaway. If that whole group was part of it, then half of ThunderClan was comprised of demons. This wasn't good for ShadowClan.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" Blackfoot heard her say, "Earlier today, myself and a few of my warriors traveled near the WindClan border. However we found their scent stale and the smell of ShadowClan overlaying it. Wee have any journeyed a bit into their territory only to find not one trace of WindClan. On our way back, we were attacked by a ShadowClan patrol. Patchpelt stayed behind to allow us to escape but unfortunately, he was cut down. His sacrifice will be honored and his spirit is in StarClan now." Blackfoot noted that despite her somber words, Bluestar herself didn't sound too torn up about it. The ShadowClan deputy narrowed his eyes, thinking that such an act could sure be used to their advantage.

He saw a gray molly crying about having the body to bury but Bluestar only said that such a thing was impossible at the moment, that they had to run for their lives in order to not join Patchpelt in his fate. Blackfoot snorted at that, his warriors have told him how Bluestar had just turned tail, not even trying to save Patchpelt from dying. He wondered how that molly would feel if she had the whole story. Blackfoot then rose to his paws. He had an idea forming in his head and for it he needed to report back to Brokenstar about the amount of demons here. It wasn't something that they could just let go. For now, he would leave ThunderClan be.

He left the same way he came, with the shadows to cover him. If Blackfoot had been paying more attention, he would have noticed that one cat had been staring in his direction the whole time, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

XxXx

Brokenstar was waiting for Blackfoot near the entrance of the camp, when he got close, the two toms briefly touched noses before the deputy gave his report. "ThunderClan seems to be divided, Brokenstar, I believe that Bluestar may not miss them if something were to happen to her demons warriors. As for the demons themselves, they are numerous, more than what we have. While I can only guess that they are loyal still to ThunderClan, we will need a different approach. To feed our Clan and keep them strong, we must get rid of any threat to us. We cannot have ThunderClan rising up against us, not with that kind of fighting force with them."

Brokenstar huffed and walked towards his den, beckoning Blackfoot to follow. His nest looked freshly made and particularly soft, Brokenstar gestured for the lighter male to make himself comfortable. Blackfoot did so and looked to see Brokenstar pacing back and forth.

"We have the WindClan hunting grounds but it may not be enough. Our newest fighters aren't doing as well as I hoped. Despite his slip up today, only Wetpaw and Littlepaw show any promise. The others are lost causes, they need to be culled. It's such a shame but at least they will have some use in feeding my warriors at least. Perhaps ThunderClan has produced better kits. It won't be hard to turn them into loyal ShadowClan warriors. But first, we must attend to the failures. Blackfoot, I will leave such business to you. And save one of the bodies for me."

Blackfoot dipped his head as Brokenstar brushed gently against him, while the white tom moved to do his leader's bidding. His claws already unsheathed. Soon he with have a fresh coating of blood for his fur.

**A/N: And that's it for this chapter. I do hope I made ShadowClan seem a bit more sinister here than in the books. I wanted to turn Brokenstar's evilness up to 11 and hopefully you'll see more of it soon. Until then as always, please enjoy!**


	26. Drawing the Line

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

After Patchpelt's death, Bluestar had stayed in her den, pacing. Patchpelt was dead and it looked like ShadowClan was planning something, but she had no idea what. The blue/gray molly sat down with a huff, her ears flat. In a few days, it would be the Gathering, perhaps then some light would be shed on what was going on in the forest.

As she mulled over her thoughts, Darkstripe called to her and she let him in, watching him bow his head. "Bluestar, I have been thinking about what you said, and perhaps we need to patrol more towards ShadowClan, to make sure that they know we are not going to take anything they throw at us lightly. I suggest taking a patrol now. With myself, Tigerclaw, and Longtail."

Bluestar narrowed her eyes at the selection yet only twitched her tail. "You're truly going to take a chance taking one of _them_ with you?" she sneered, her displeasure clear.

Darkstripe had to bite back a growl and forced his fur to lie flat. "He is a loyal warrior, Bluestar. I trust that _none_ will not hurt us and and in time we will need their strength. I am taking Tigerclaw on patrol, now I have to get going."

As the dark furred tom left her den, Bluestar got to her paws with a grimace and thought to head to the medicine cat den. She needed to check on something. However as she was going to see Spottedleaf, she found her speaking to Willowpelt, Lionheart, and Ravenpaw near the camp entrance. The four were speaking in low tones and Spottedleaf was gesturing a lot with her tail. The two warriors and the apprentice then nodded to her and while Willowpelt looked sullen, she followed Lionheart and Ravenpaw out of the camp before Spottedleaf turned to make her way towards Firepaw, who was taking care of Yellowfang.

The same actions, the same nods and Firepaw said something to to Yellowfang that Bluestar couldn't hear before the healer left them and looked to be headed for her den.

"Spottedleaf," Bluestar called out, her tail twitching as the healer stopped in her tracks and seemed to be considering running off before turning to face her leader.

"Bluestar," the smaller molly answered, keeping her face clear of emotion as she dipped her head to the leader. Bluestar tilted her head, wondering if Spottedleaf was being coy but decided to not comment on it, it was not important at the time.

"I just wanted to know what you were doing talking to those other cats, Lionheart, Willowpelt, Ravenpaw, Firepaw and the prisoner, Yellowfang. Seems like you are doing a lot of running around lately."

Spottedleaf turned her head slightly away from Bluestar to watch Speckletail, the eldest nursery queen and Lionheart's mother watch over a few of the kits as they played. She continued to keep her gaze on them even as she spoke to Bluestar.

"I'm just making sure that everyone is okay, especially after the death of Patchpelt, it's my job to make sure every cat in well in mind as well as body. With ShadowClan looking to be a threat, that is more important now more than ever."

Bluestar grunted at that, it was not something that she could refute before something still didn't sit right with her. Letting out a small sigh, the leader felt it was best to just let Spottedleaf do whatever she wanted. "Just make sure it doesn't interfere with your other duties."

"Yes, Bluestar." Spottedleaf replied while dipping her head. She gave the leader a few seconds before starting to head back to her den, a small sigh escaping her muzzle.

XxXX

Firepaw had stayed by Yellowfang's side as Spottedleaf spoke to them and the context of that conversation made her keenly aware of the predicament they all were in. The young demon grumbled softly, laying down on her belly as she turned her gaze to the clouds, noting inwardly that she had been doing that a lot lately.

Yellowfang shifted in her nest, her gaze remaining on the Clan as they went about their duties, her ears were relaxed and Firepaw couldn't really tell what she was thinking until the older molly opened her muzzle to speak.

"Your medicine cat is playing a dangerous game, you know. Taking warriors out to hunt for the meat we demons need. With the way your leader is acting, it certainly is risky business. Whoever she decides to take could get caught. It could very well end badly for you."

Firepaw transferred her gaze from the clouds to the older molly, shifting her paws. "That may be, but we have to eat soon. I'm not sure how long it's been since the rest of them had proper meat, but I can tell, if it goes on for too much longer, Bluestar will see just how much of monsters we all can really be. Personally, I don't think that would be such a day idea, but then, it's only the rebel apprentice who babbles." she added while putting her head on her paws and closing her eyes.

Yellowfang snorted at this, a small smirk on her face as she waved her tail back and forth. "You are right in that regard, it's only wrong that you have to sneak around, in ShadowClan, to do such things are seen as stupid. If you are hungry, you eat. And no one is allowed to stop you."

"Too bad I didn't end up in ShadowClan." Firepaw deadpanned, still having her eyes closed however, she rolled over on her back.

The pair fell into an easy silence, there was no need for talking. Since being told to take care of her, Firepaw found the presence of the older demon somehow comforting, to the point where she even told Yellowfang that she was thinking of leaving the Clan.

"Leaving the Clan? And where would you go? How will you survive? It's much different living on your own after having support like this at first. It can be done, but aren't you afraid of losing something if you do?" the older demon said, giving Firepaw a certain look.

"I know, but I managed to scrape by on my own before, I can do it again. I'm older now and stronger. I'll at least move far from ThunderClan. I may hate it here, but there are some that I did not wish to hurt."

Yellowfang narrowed her eyes and looked to see Sandpaw coming up to them but stayed quiet on that front. Instead, she merely smirked. "You say you hate it here, but by your own words, there is someone that you want to protect. That is why you are moving from here."

Before she could say anything to defend herself, she then felt her whisker brush against something and by scent noticed Sandpaw standing next to her.

"You look like you could use some company, you look...upset." the paler molly muttered, settling next to Firepaw and looking a little skittish. "Firepaw, listen. About what you said, about changing your mind before the next full moon. It's only a few days away and I don't know..."

"So you won't be able to convince me then? Is that what you are saying?" Firepaw cut her off, opening her eyes to stare at Sandpaw. The older molly couldn't keep her gaze and dropped her head, her tail curling tight around her.

"I...I don't want you to leave...please. These last few weeks, you've been such a comfort to me." Even this close, Firepaw had to strain to hear to hear those words but the smaller demon only blinked before rolling to her paws and began walking away.

"There's still some time left, you had better think of something." Firepaw once more cut in, looking like the whole thing didn't bother her, but Yellowfang saw how Firepaw's eyes lingered on Sandpaw's tense face and smiled, moving to groom herself. Ah, to be a young cat again!

XxXx

Later that day, Lionheart and Ravenpaw came back to the camp, the warrior sat by the entrance while Ravenpaw was sent off to look for Spottedleaf. When she was found, the pair then rounded up Sandpaw, Speckletail, and Goldenflower. Lionheart told them that Willowpelt was waiting for them and that they had to be quick.

With Ravenpaw and Lionheart to show the way, the group was lead rather close to Twolegplace. There as the forest trees had thinned away to almost nothing, Willowpelt stood crouching next to a small pile of three dead cats. Most of the group stiffened as Spottedleaf broke away from the group and began to place one cat in front of a group of three.

"What are you doing, does Bluestar know of anything of this?" Speckletail asked her son, her tail lashing back and forth. Lionheart lowered his gaze and tried to stall for time by using his claws to slice open the meat.

"If we don't eat soon, we'll go insane. It's better to sneak around to do this and than risk attacking our Clan. Besides, it's not like Bluestar cares whether we live or die. I'm sure she wouldn't care where we went so long as she didn't have to deal with us for a while." Willowpelt hissed, staring into Speckletail's eyes.

"We need to be strong in case the worst happens. Mother, I can hear your heartbeat, please eat. Spottedleaf, when you think we will be able to get Tigerclaw, Firepaw, Graypaw and Yellowfang here?" Lionheart cut in gently, gently nuzzling Speckletail in an effort to soothe her. It seemed to work, but only a little.

Spottedleaf was sharing one of the slain cats with Sandpaw and Ravenpaw but looked up at Lionheart's words and tilted her head to think. "They could probably last until the day after tomorrow, but I wouldn't want to go any further than that. Despite everything, it was a risk taking everyone out like this, next time we'll try for smaller groups."

"Sounds good. As soon as you're done eating, we'll head back, okay?" Lionheart told the group, to which they all nodded.

Sandpaw was looking down at her "meal" she made managed to eat enough to fill her belly and was surprised by just how _hungry_ she was! She closed her eyes tight against it, her claws digging into ground. Was this truly okay, what they all were doing? She opened her eyes when she felt someone press their muzzle into her fur, it was Ravenpaw.

The black cat moved away and looked at her with understanding in his eyes. "It's okay, you know. To feel bad, but this is how we must live, the only way to truly survive. Don't worry, it's gets easier."

"Is that what this is?" Sandpaw asked, looking at the eaten corpse and though she couldn't explain why, she couldn't help nibbling at the small amount of flesh still there. "I can't help but feel that this is going to end badly for me. I mean, I just found out that I am at least partly demon, I've gone for so long thinking I was normal but now..."

"Being a demon isn't something that not normal, it's a part of who you are." Ravenpaw said, settling close to her again. "For me, and the rest of us, it's just who we are."

Sandpaw looked over at the black cat, taking in his words. "Just...who we are. Thanks, Ravenpaw." She said at last, giving the tom a small, grateful lick on the cheek.

Eventually the group had finished eating and had to head back. Spottedleaf had went on ahead to gather herbs and the entire group went hunting, all in the service of having an excuse ready in case they were questioned.

But luckily for all of them, Darkstripe, who had finished his patrol, was the only one who said anything to them about it and nodded to them as he passed. Though he did go up to Lionheart and dip his head to the slightly older warrior.

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you. I just want you to know that." the deputy then walked off, making sure to take a bit of prey that one of the demons hunted themselves. Lionheart watched him and smirked a bit to himself.

"Well, it's good to know where one stands, and I'm surprised yet happy that it's with us."


	27. Departure and Striking Shadows

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

A few days after Patchpelt's death, the Clan tried to go back to normal. And normal for the apprentices was training.

Sandpaw grunted softly as Firepaw slammed her down to the ground, sand getting in her mouth which she spat out in disgust while grumbling under her breath. Nearby Graypaw was sparring with Ravenpaw, their mentors watching carefully. Sandpaw retaliated by hooking her paws around Firepaw's shoulders and sending her to the ground as well. Firepaw tried to shake loose by battering at her belly with her hind paws but Sandpaw clung on, determined to win this fight. On the other side of the training hollow, Graypaw and Ravenpaw were sparring as well, but it was apparent that their mock fight wasn't as intense as Sandpaw and Firepaw's.

Firepaw had managed to get out of her hold by slapping her left paw hard across Sandpaw's face, driving her back. As the pale molly staggered back and shook her head, she forced herself to find her paws and face Firepaw, thinking out her next plan. However, Firepaw didn't give her the chance as the fiery apprentice charged forward, growling loudly and baring her fangs.

She pounced on Sandpaw, barreling into her and sinking her fangs hard into her shoulder, drawing blood. The scent of it quickly filled the training hollow and all the demons, sans Whitestorm slid out their claws in response. Luckily there was no risk of them losing their heads, Spottedleaf's careful trips with all of them to feed on cat flesh had them all rather calm and sated for the first time in a long time.

Still despite that, all the mentors looked worried as Sandpaw struck back with a hard paw slap, her claws extended. The blow seemed enough to get Firepaw to loosen her grip and back away a few paces. Sandpaw, despite her injury, followed her legs supporting her even as her wound bled rather heavily.

Sandpaw grinned lightly at Firepaw, her tail lashing before she dashed forward, plowing into Firepaw and biting her her leg and pulling. Another advantage to eating properly was the advantages that demons had that most of the normal cats feared, their strength, size and weight.

It had only been a few days but Spottedleaf had made sure that they all ate at least once every other day. It was hard at first to find a system to cycle through but eventually everyone got their fair share. In that time, Sandpaw had the others had bulked up and even already large demons like Lionheart and Tigerclaw on put on mass and gained even more strength. There was also the handy vast tolerance to pain that came with it, which of course lead to incidents like this.

Sandpaw and Firepaw were now engaged in a full on battle now, biting and clawing viciously at each other, the sand around them quickly staining with their blood. But they didn't seem to full of rage, in fact the pair, while tearing into each other, seem to be enjoying it, grinning and even laughing. However Whitestorm narrowed his eyes and rushed forward, pulling them apart and this is what seemed to turn at least Firepaw's mood.

"What are you doing? I almost had her!" she hissed at the white warrior, glaring at him while Sandpaw seemed to realize what was about to happen and lowered her head, her earlier energized mood now now.

"Whitestorm, I-" she began only to have her mentor cut her off. Tigerclaw, Lionheart and the others were soon there too, the tabby warrior lashing his tail at Firepaw, growling.

"You've been here long enough to know that we do not extend our claws in training! You been here long enough to know that you do not shed the blood of your Clanmates!"

Firepaw looked up at Tigerclaw, her green eyes smoldering in anger. "Then what is the point of having fangs and claws? When fighting, isn't it better to spill blood, to have a better chance at fighting? I would think that it would make training more effective if we did claw and bite for all we were worth, it would make us better warriors!"

"Firepaw, what you suggest is not only unreasonable but dangerous. While we strive to make all our cats strong, to just attack and make them fear for their lives during training is simply too much. We are not barabarians, Firepaw. To protect our Clan with loyalty and respect, that is how it goes. How can they ever trust us if we are tearing them to bits in a simple training session?" Lionheart tried to reason with the young molly but she frowned when he realized that Firepaw was looking down at her paws.

"They don't trust or respect us anyway, so what does it matter? Strength in your claws and your fangs is the only thing that matters. Perhaps it would change things if we gave those cats a few wounds to think about, then they wouldn't treat us like fox dung!"

"You watch your mouth!" Tigerclaw snarled, stepping up to the younger cat, his claws unsheathed. "We have suffered enough and still continue to suffer. I will not let some rouge demon who only thinks of blood drag us down any further!"

Whether he looked as if he was going to attack Firepaw or not, Ravenpaw rushed forward and stood in front of the fiery apprentice. He stared defiantly up at his mentor, his stance strong and rooted to the spot. Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes, his ears flattening as a dangerous growl rumbled from Tigerclaw's throat.

"Move, Ravenpaw." he said quietly, his voice straining with the effort of tryong not to start screeching in rage.

"No. What she says may be problematic, but I don't think attacking her will solve anything. You say that you won't let her drag us down any further but you were about to attack her. That will not make things right, Tigerclaw! Besides, I know that you have done something far worse than just wounding a fellow Clanmate. What Firepaw suggests is nothing compared to that." Ravenpaw added, frowning.

Those words sent Tigerclaw staggering back, sputtering. The others couldn't seem to figure out what was wrong with him but Ravenpaw only sighed, turning to look at Firepaw. "Are you okay?"

However, Firepaw only stood, heading out of the training hollow towards the camp further in. Sandpaw watched her go before trying to go after her, but Whitestorm gently bit her tail, holding her back.

"Don't worry about her. You had better get those wounds checked on, I'm sure Spottedleaf will have something for you. Off you go." Sandpaw stared at her mentor still worried but knew that she couldn't argue. Ravenpaw came up to her and nudged her, giving the paler molly a certain look.

"I'm sure she'll be okay," he then leaned in a little quieter, he muttered, "We'll go check on her later, I promise.

Firepaw didn't stop at the camp, she didn't go to Spottedleaf or stop to speak to Yellowfang. She kept walking until she was out of camp and kept on walking. The wounded molly was nearly to Twolegplace when she finally stopped, her wounds throbbing. She stooped to lick at her injuries, growling softly to herself. She had decided then and there, she wasn't going to wait for the full moon. It was over, she was going to leave the Clan. There was nothing there for her.

And yet as she thought that, the image of Sandpaw came to her mind. The paler molly was the first one of the Clan cats to treat her with any sort of kindness. Firepaw had to admot that she was a comfort to her as she had to go on without Jake and Firepaw remembered how crushed Sandpaw was when she lost Redtail. Firepaw would be lying if she said that she wouldn't at least miss Sandpaw.

But...one cat wasn't enough. The Clan was just far too cruel to demons and the rest seemed to think that all they have to do is try hard enough and things would work out. Firepaw shook her head, the world wasn't like that and she knew that things would only get worst before they got better. She wasn't going to stand around being demeaned while waiting for that day. The flame colored molly then sighed then shook herself, she couldn't stay here, this area belonged to ThunderClan after all, she didn't want to risk running into an enemy here. With that, she then got to her paws and limped off, resolving to leave ThunderClan behind and not looking back.

XxXX

Sandpaw was heading towards the dmeon's usual spot in camp to gather and share tongue with a large rabbit in her jaws to share with Firepaw when Ravenpaw walked up to her, his expression worried. Sandpaw put her rabbit down and tilted her head, wondering what was wrong.

"Hey, have you seen Firepaw? She wasn't in the medicine den when I went to check on her and Spottedleaf said she never saw her." the black cat lashed his tail in worry, and Sandpaw closed her eyes, trying to think.

"Perhaps she just went to be alone, she did get scolded pretty bad back there. I would think that she would want time to cool off." "Maybe," Ravenpaw muttered, while his eyes then found Tigerclaw. The massive tabby was crouching with his eyes glaring at him and while Ravenpaw lowered his head, he did not cower. After today, he would not let Tigerclaw scare him, no matter what.

"Well, I wanted to share this rabbit with her, but if she's gonna be gone for a while, do you want a few bites?" Sandpaw asked, snapping Ravenpaw out of his thoughts. The skinny demon smiled and nodded his head, picking up the rodent from the ground.

"Sure."

The day slowly eased into evening and none of the apprentices had seen Firepaw come back, Sandpaw was worried now, more than Ravenpaw now. Firepaw had been a constant in her life since the first day the full bloodied demon came to ThunderClan. And now she was missing. As the shadows lengthened and night truly began to claim the forest there was a harsh wail as suddenly, Brindleface and Willowpelt burst through the camp, dragging two bodies with them. Bluestar, despite everything, came to the center of camp with Darkstripe by her side. The two demon mollies narrowed their eyes at Bluestar but did not do the same to Darkstripe, allowing him to come closer to the bodies than the leader.

When Sandpaw pushed through the group of cats, she was able to see Lionheart crouching by one of them, his nose buried in the stiff fur. The two bodies brought in were Speckletail and Frostfur. Both were demons of the Clan and that fact alone had most of the Clan not caring but Sandpaw gasped at the horrible state their bodies were in.

Both mollies looked nearly torn to shreds and it even looked as though the bodies were partial _eaten. _ShadowClan scent absolutely covered their fur and Sandpaw could see Lionheart trembling, his eyes narrowed into murderous slits.

"ShadowClan. _ShadowClan!_" his snarl echoed for all to hear and he leapt to his paws, his claws glinting in the moonlight. He began to head for the camp entrance and still caught in the deaths of their Clanmates, the other demons didn't notice until the last minute to stop him. It was Darkstripe and Tigerclaw who did their best to restrain him.

"Let me go!" Lionheart snarled as TigerClaw and Darkstripe did their best to hold the massive warrior down. "They killed my mother! Eaten her! I want to flay them alive! See how they like it!"

It was the most furious Sandpaw had ever seen Lionheart, the warrior had always been controlled in all his emotions, even when he was angry, but this...

_'Of course, his mother did just get killed.'_ Sandpaw thought, remembering her own father's death. Her heart went out to Lionheart.

"That's enough!" A cold voice rang through the night. Bluestar. She was sitting by the bodies, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws. "I can't allow you to get yourself killed by ShadowClan, no matter the reason, Lionheart. To lost another to them would be a blow this Clan cannot afford. Does anyone know what happened?" she spoke clearly and looked all around but Sandpaw could see that she didn't look all that devastated at the loss of life.

Willowpelt stepped followed, but not before pressing her nose to Frostfur's ripped pelt, muttering a few words. She then turned to face Bluestar, her face twisted in a suppressed snarl. "They said they wanted to stretch their legs and go hunting. They told us they were going to follow the path close to Tallpines and told us that they would be careful. We had thought that they had just slipped back into camp unnoticed but when no cat could find them, Brindleface and I went to find them. When we followed their scent trail to Tallpines, we found three ShadowClan warriors crouched over them, _eating them_!"

Willowpelt took a moment to bow her head but Bluestar only lashed her tail, looking annoyed. "And then what happened?" she asked, her eyes showing little sympathy.

Willowpelt's head shot up at her leader's callous tone but turned her head to her fellow demons, her eyes finding Lionheart, who closed his own in grief. "We fought them off, the vicious brutes. I even managed to kill one of them for taking poor Speckletail and Frostfur away from us. That's one ShadowClan cat we do not have to worry about!"

Small cheers for what Willowpelt had done burst from the demons of the Clan along with Whitestorm and Darkstripe, glad that in some small way, their sisters were avenged. Bluestar however, didn't see it that way. She stood, her fur bristling as she yowled for the clamor to stop. "You fools! ShadowClan is already up to something and now you go around and do this!? They will want revenge for you killing their Clanmate!" "And we should want revenge for the same thing! The Gathering is tomorrow, we should challenge them there!" Lionheart snarled, his fangs bared and claws ready to rip something apart. "We cannot let this go unanswered! My mother and Frostfur were killed! They deserved justice!"

"I will deal with this in my own way!" Bluestar growled, glaring all around her. "What's done now is done. Frostfur and Speckletail are dead. But their kits still live. We...will make sure nothing happens to them. Until the Gathering, no one else is allowed outside of camp, is that clear?"

"But what about Firepaw? She hasn't been seen all day? Surely we should send someone to look for her?" Sandpaw spoke up, her voice filling with dread as Bluestar stared at her coldly.

"If she is out there, then may StarClan have mercy on her." she answered, uncaring, before swiftly turning her back and heading towards her den.

**A/N: Well now, I wonder if Firepaw will be okay wondering the forest alone? She is wounded after all and doesn't know the real danger she's in. Hopefully StarClan truly does watch out for her and she stays alive. As always, hope you enjoy and see you in the next chapter~**


	28. The Gathering Begins

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw woke up early the next day, the sky above her still dark and the air around her cool. She blinked and turned her head to the side, the spot where Firepaw would usually lay beside her was empty. So, she hadn't returned yet.

Sandpaw frowned, her claws digging into the dirt as her belly twisted with worry. Firepaw hadn't come back and ShadowClan was out there killing cats. She shivered as she remembered Frostfur's and Speckletail's torn and broken bodies being brought back to camp. The young apprentice twisted her head to look at Lionheart, the huge warrior had slept away from everyone last night and before that he barely talked to any cat. But then, how could blame him, his mother was killed.

It was only natural he would be angry, especially since he was denied his revenge in favor of not having the whole of ShadowClan coming down on them all. Still, Sandpaw could understand his rage, though part of her wondered if he was thinking of doling out his own justice for his mother's sake.

Sandpaw eventually switched her gaze to the still dark sky, wondering where Firepaw was and hoping that she was alright. The pale molly took a deep breath, a pang of loneliness stabbing through her, it had only been a few hours but...she missed Firepaw. The quiet apprentice had been there from almost the beginning. It was strange and upsetting to not feel the full demon's fur against her own.

Sandpaw closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, they were filled with determinaton. She would find Firepaw and bring her home safe and sound. She wasn't going to let ShadownClan or anything else stop her. She _had_ to bring Firepaw home!

XxXx

Firepaw had spent the night just outside the border from ThunderClan territory. She had stayed in a split tree, having bugs and all matter of critters crawling through her fur. Now she was awake and very hungry. Yet as she tried to move out of her less than comfy den, she found her body incredibly stiff and could barely move at all.

Groaning softly, the flame colored molly narrowed her eyes and stiffly sat down like an old cat. She set to licking her wounds which by now had stopped bleeding and now just throbbed dully. Still the fact that she could barely move caused her to flatten her ears in annoyance and worry.

"I'll push through it, this is nothing. I can get through this." she muttered to herself, forcing herself to stand with a muted growl.

The fire colored molly then made herself move, wincing with every step. However before she got too far, she caught a certain scent on the wind. Blood. And lots of it. Blinking, the young demon narrowed her eyes and turned to where the blood scent was coming from but as she did so, she suddenly felt claws tearing into the side of her head.

Hissing in pain and rage, Firepaw turned to face what attacked her. It was a truly massive white cat with jet black paws. In his left amber eye, she could see the bottom portion covered in green. He was a full bloodied demon!

Firepaw barely had time to react as the large tom pinned her to the ground, his paws pressing mercilessly against her throat. As Firepaw gasped for air, the male smirked leaning down to snarl in her face.

"What's this? A young demon from ThunderClan, and all alone? My, my. You're either very bold or very stupid! But I suppose you saved me the trouble of tracking one of you down, Brokenstar will be pleased to know that I killed another one of ThunderClan's demons." Blackfoot said, his voice edging into a sadistic purr.

As he leaned closer to bite, his fangs inches from Firepaw's eyes, the young apprentice managed to get one of her hind paws under the male, clawing hard at his belly. When he flinched and loosened his grip in pain, Firepaw managed to wriggle free, gaining some distance before turning to face Blackfoot.

The large male glared at Firepaw for a moment before readying himself to strike, Firepaw did the same but as Blackfoot lunged at her, Firepaw's body stiffened and she was unable to move. Crashing into her with all of his weight, Blackfoot drove his fangs into into the molly's shoulder, deep enough that his fangs scraped bone. Firepaw howled in pain and wasn't able to break free, leaving her wide open for Blackfoot to switch his target from the molly's shoulder to her neck. The young demon's lifeblood stained the ground beneath then as Blackfoot continued to bite. Firepaw could do nothing but scratch feebly at the male who only chuckled and bit harder. Eventually there was a sickening crunch and Firepaw gurgled before going limp.

Blackfoot released her and narrowed his eyes, titling his head as he bit her again. When the apprentice didn't move, Blackfoot picked her up by the scruff and carried her over to a large rock. He then savagely bashed Firepaw's head against it, letting the body dropp without an once of regret. Blackfoot scoffed before idly clawing at Firepaw's prone body, his tail twitching. "Well, looks like you're dead. It's too bad you're so small, but I wouldn't dare bring such a small meal to Brokenstar. He deserve much more than that. At least the one more demon of ThunderClan taken out. I should get back, Brokenstar will want to hear about this."

XxXx

The following day, near sundown, Sandpaw was just coming back from hunting as well as serching for Firepaw, but with no luck. Shadowclan's scent was getting closer and closer to camp and everyone was worried. The pale furred apprentice dropped her catch and looked to see Lionheart speaking with Graypaw, the large warrior's claws were unsheathed and his eyes were narrowed in fury and hatred. Seeing his bristling fur and twitching eyes it wasn't hard to see that Lionheart was still grieving for his mother and wanted to tear apart the ShadowClan cat who did it.

Bluestar appeared from her den and jumped to the Highrock, giving the normal summons, though it was barely needed as most of the cats were out and about and had gathered to hear what their leader had to say. As usual, the Clan was divided but Bluestar barely reflected on this before she opened her jaws to speak. "I will now chose the cats who will join me at the Gathering! Darkstripe, Longtail, Mousefur, Runningwind, Whitestorm, Tigerclaw, Ravenpaw and Sandpaw. Those who are chosen will come with me immediately. I think I will have plenty to report, especially to ShadowClan."

Sandpaw and Ravenpaw both looked at one another, they were going to the Gathering! However the joyous mood soon darkened as Lionheart stood, facing his leader with slitted eyes and fangs partially bared.

"That is all of the normal warriors that are going with you! And barely any of us, wouldn't you want to show more unity in your Clan but taking more of us with you? And what about Spottedleaf, why leave her behind?"

Bluestar's hackles raised as she looked down at the warrior, her own teeth bared. "Bringing three of you demons is more than you deserve. Besides, if ShadowClan attacks, I would want my camp and my warriors defended. There's also the fact that you demons might be tempted to attack during the Gathering due to what happened earlier. I will not have conflict be brought on because you demons cannot control yourselves! There is also no rule that says I have to bring the medicine cat. Spottedleaf will stay with the rest of you. That is all."

"You can't do that!" Sandpaw found herself yelling before she even realized what she was doing. The whole of the Clan turned their heads to look at her and Sandpaw flinched, wrapping her tail around her and flattening her ears while Bluestar glared down at her, her claws coming out.

"Care to repeat that?" the leader spoke, her voice icy calm, it sent shivers down Sandpaw's spine, he tried to open her mouth to speak, but no sound came out and Bluestar's glare only intensified. However the older molly turned her head to face the rest of the Clan, her voice coming out as a growl.

"The rest of you will stay here, guard the camp and if any ShadowClan cats come then tear them apart!"

None of the demons reacted to her words, Ravenpaw nuzzled Sandpaw gently before he got his paws and joined the rest of the Gathering patrol. Darkstripe hung back, walking over to Tigerclaw and Lionheart, just managing to stop the golden warrior before he began walking away towards the camp entrance.

"Lionheart, listen. I don't agree with Bluestar's methods or her reasoning for keeping the rest of you out...but if ShadowClan does attack, please do everything you can to defend yourself. But if the odds aren't in your favor, run away. I don't want you risking your lives! Leave the camp, Whitestorm and I will find you. I swear!"

The massive demon glared at Darkstripe at first, but seeing the genuine concern in his eyes, he sighed and his gaze softened. "Alright. I will do as you ask. You...be careful as well. You're risky a lot, being friendly with me."

Darkstripe huffed slightly at that and lashed his tail. "I'm not risking anything. I am being loyal to my Clanmates. Be careful tonight, whatever happens at the Gathering, I will be sure to tell you all." Then, a little awkwardly, the dark furred tabby leaned up and touched the bigger warrior's nose to his own. Lionheart blinked in surprise at the gesture, Darkstripe was not known to be an affectionate cat but Lionheart soon smiled and accepted the kind gesture.

When Darkstripe backed away, Lionheart bowed his head to him in deep respect, Tigerclaw reluctantly doing the same a few seconds later. "No matter what happens, Darkstar, we will follow you."

Darkstripe's eyes widened at that, did...did Lionheart just really call him Darkstar?! The smaller male's legs began to and he could barely stand but he somehow managed. "Please..." he muttered, his voice shaking with surprise and gratitude. "Don't...I'm not...I mean...thank you. But Bluestar is still you're leader, you shouldn't call me that. And please...raise your head. I am no cat to give such respect to. I'm just...Darkstripe."

Lionheart did raise his head and as he did, Darkstripe saw him smirking. The dark male wasn't sure how to feel about that, but at least Lionheart wasn't as angry anymore, right? The massive tom then turned away, heading towards Willowpelt and Graypaw.

"Don't ever doubt yourself. You deserve all the respect you get...Darkstar."

"L-Lionheart..." Darkstripe wanted to chase after him and tell him again not to call him that, but Bluestar's yowl stopped him. He looked to his leader than the retreating tom before sghing. He would talk to Lionheart about what h was saying after the Gathering.

XxXx

It was nearly moonhigh when ThunderClan reached the slope leading towards Fourtrees and the Gathering hollow of the Clans. The whole time, Sandpaw walked as slow as she could, trying to scent for Firepaw. She had noticed the flame colored molly had walked through here and Sandpaw also smelled blood as well. Firepaw must had been still bleeding from their fight yesterday. But Sandpaw also realized that Firepaw's scent was stale. She hadn't returned yet and she probably didn't intend to come back.

Bluestar her lagging behind and hissed at her to keep moving but Sandpaw barely heard her. Firepaw...hadn't returned after Lionheart and Tigerclaw scolded her. No one had seen the young demon molly since yesterday and Firepaw had returned then or now.

The demon's words then rang in Sandpaw's ears. "I'm thinking about leaving. There is no one urging me to stay."

Sandpaw flattened her ears and began to tremble. Firepaw...was gone, left the Clan. Left her...

She didn't even care when Bluestar showed up and cuffed her over the ears, demanding that she move. Her legs moved of their own accord but she did not say that she really cared too much. She stiffly walked towards Ravenpaw who knew that something was bothering his Clanmate but felt like this wasn't the time to bring it up. Instead, he pressed against Sandpaw's side, offering her comfort where he could.

Eventually ThunderClan reached the slope of the Gathering and at the head Bluestar looked down at the cats grouped before before turning to her own Clan. She nodded to them and after flicked her tail, signalling for ThunderClan to join the others below.

Sandpaw ran quietly after her Clanmates, her eyes not taking in the other cats giving her greetings or her own Clan splitting apart to chat with friends. Even Ravenpaw eventually left her alone and soon so did any other cat that was close. Sandpaw didn't care one bit, Firepaw was gone, she had left the Clan.

And she didn't even get a chance to stop or even say goodbye.

Suddenly there was a loud yowl from somewhere above her, Sandpaw pried her eyes from the ground to see a huge dark brown tom standing on top of the Great Rock where the leaders stood. His gaze swept over all the cats assembled and he opened his jaws once more to address all of them.

"ShadowClan needs more prey and I, Brokenstar, demand that you other leaders surrender some of your territory to me! Do so, and your Clans will be safe. But if you refuse, then you will have all the claws and fangs of ShadowClan brought down upon you!"

**A/N: Well, what a way to start a Gathering! Brokenstar does not mess around! And Firepaw is taken out of commision while Sandpaw is dealing with a broken , Bluestar is losing her mind. I wonder if anything will go right for the demons of ThunderClan? I hope you'll stick around to find out and as always, please enjoy.**


	29. Brokenstar's Terms

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

All of the gathered Clan cats stared in stunned silence to Brokenstar's words. Most didn't know what to make of of the leader of ShadowClan said. Hushed murmurs broke out from the crowd below before Mousefur go to her paws, glaring up the tom, though Sandpaw, despite everything, noticed that her gaze wavered and the small molly swayed on her paws.

"Why...why should give you more territory? Surely your land can support you!" she growled, though it sounded distant and soon she lowered her head, inadvertently saving herself from falling further into the misty void.

Brokenstar only smirked and lashed his mishappen tail, rising taller on his paws as he turned his gaze to all the cats down below. "ShadowClan grows more and more, out kits are strong and our warriors are fierce. Should my Clan be punished because we are growing stronger every day? My Clan's kits need more food, more than any other Clan. So I demand more territory so they do not starve."

As he spoke, Sandpaw looked over to some of ShadowClan's cats, despite what Broeknstar said, she noticed with a bit of a shock that two of the apprentices that were brought to the Gathering were rather small, almost kit-sized. And looking through the group, it wasn't just the young ones, a few of the warriors looked small as well.

But then she saw cats like Clawface and Blackfoot, both were massive and even from hear, Sandpaw was shocked to see small bits of different colors covering their left eyes. Were they full bloodied demons?! Looking around, it wasn't just them but a skinny but well muscled black tom and large gray tom.

They weren't the only ones! There were demons in the other Clans! Sandpaw then looked around, wanting to know who else was a demon.

"WindClan did not understand this, so I did what was best for my Clan and drove those pathetic rabbit chasers out!" The dark brown tom said evenly, his gaze calm and cool. "I have a WindClan pelt serving my nest right now and surprisingly, they have much softer fur than they look." Brokenstar said this with a smile on his muzzle and the other leaders gaped at him.

"You...you skinned a cat?" Crookedstar, the leader of RiverClan stammered while Bluestar looked down at the cats below.

"That's why there are no WindClan cats here, why there was none in their territory. You drove them out and even killed one!" she hissed, backing away from the dark cat.

Brokenstar only chuckled and unsheathed his claws, a dangerous light entering his eyes. "It was more than one, my bravest warriors need warm nests too."

"StarClan will strike you down for what you are saying!" Crookedstar growled, he stood close to Brokenstar, both toms were nearly the same size and Sandpaw wondered if Crookedstar had demon blood in him too.

"And yet the moon remains uncovered." Brokenstar replied slyly, his tail twitching in dark amusement. "Seems like StarClan has no problem with what I ask, so why should you? I must admit though, you RiverClan cats always had nice fur. I wonder if yours would make an even better nest?"

At the threat, Crookedstar backed away, his fur bristling. Bluestar looked over at him before standing before Brokenstar who lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes, his claws unsheathed.

"It would be better for all of us if we could come to terms." Bluestar said, though Sandpaw could see her tail twitching frantically. She was afraid.

"Terms? Ah, very well. These are my terms; hand over your territory immediately."

"We cannot agree to that, but perhaps we can come up with something better. For all of us."

"You're in no position to bargain, Bluestar," Brokenstar growled softly, his claws scraping against the rock. Bluestar noticed and took a deep breath.

"You drove out and killed cats of WindClan. Surely that should be enough on your conscience. Perhaps, if you are really struggling, you can send some of your kits and apprentices to us. Ease the strain on your land, allow the prey to replenish. Then we will give them back. You will have food and power aplenty."

"I will not give my kits or apprentices away so you can turn them against me. I'll take back my terms. If you have not made your decision by the time of the next Gathering, I'll tear every throat out in your Clans! I will not allow my Clan to starve when we deserve to be strong!"

Brokenstar then jumped from the Great Rock and immediately his warriors surrounded him as they traveled back to ShadowClan. Bluestar and Crookedstar watched him go, before the RiverClan leader looked to the sky, seeing the moon still shining brightly.

"StarClan did not cover the moon. Perhaps they would not care if we are wiped out." he muttered morosely, his head hanging.

"I am not willing to die! If Brokenstar thinks he can drove me out or kill me, he will find that I have something that can deal with him." Bluestar said, narrowing her eyes and jumping down from the rock. Crookedstar watched her go and once more looked to the moon before leaping himself.

"ThunderClan, to me!" Bluestar called out though most of the gathering party was already moving towards her, Sandpaw lingered when she noticed Tigerclaw hadn't moved with them, he was looking to where Brokenstar and the rest of ShadowClan had gone.

What was he thinking, she wondered.

XxXx

The ThunderClan Gathering party made it to the camp with no incident. Bluestar looked around it to find that nothing was out of order, leading her to heave a sigh of relief. Lionheart looked over her, seeing her ruffled fur before before he could say anything, Darkstripe rushed over to him, looking him over. Lionheart smirked at this but Bluestar scowled at the open concern her deputy showed, calling him to join her at the Highrock.

Bluestar wasted not time in addressing the Clan, her voice ringing out for all to hear. "ShadowClan is threatening our borders and our very lives. Brokenstar has driven out and killed Windclan cats for their territory and has threatened to do the same to us with we do not submit to him by the time of the next Gathering! I will not be threatened, I will not demanded to! If ShadowClan wishes to fight us, then he will find that ThunderClan will not be so easy to drive off as WindClan!"

Lionheart and the other demons looked at one another, before the mighty warrior stood, tilting his head. "And how do you intend to defend yourself against Brokenstar and his threats?" the way he asked seemed to infer that he knew what Bluestar was going to say, but he wanted to see if she would prove him wrong.

"You demons will serve on the front lines. You are powerful and mighty! I have no doubt that Brokenstar would run into trouble if faced with you."

"So...in other words, you mean to sacrifice us!" Tigerclaw snarled, glaring up at Bluestar, to which she returned the glare before looking to the rest of her Clan.

"If you are as strong as the stories say, then you have nothing to worry about." Bluestar replied, her tail lashing. "I don't know why you are against, you should want to defend your Clan. Remember that you swore an oath! To die for your Clan if need be. In saying that, I have decided that our apprentices must speed up their training. There will also be more patrols going out. I will not have ThunderClan fall to the whims of a tryant! The demons will defend the camp and at least one of them will be patrol from now on."

As the Clan began to talk among themselves, they noticed that Bluestar was not done. They looked up to the leader, the demons wary of what else she would say.

"Tomorrow, I will head to Mothermouth to speak to our ancestors about the coming threat. With me, I will take Tigerclaw, Sandpaw and Ravenpaw. Make sure to see Spottedleaf for what you will need for the journey."

"Hmph, she probably only picked them because she wanted to be protected in case ShadowClan goes beyond the borders to attack her." Willowpelt groused, shaking her head. All the demons of the Clan once more huddled together while Bluestar jumped down from the Highrock. Darkstripe walked over to her, tilting his head.

"Why didn't you want me to come along with you? Not to downgrade their skills but isn't two warriors better than just one and two apprentices?"

Bluestar flicked her tail and rolled her eyes, looking slightly annoyed. "You should know than to question your leader, Darkstripe. But if you must know, I need you here to keep an eye on the demons. There's no telling what could happen and despite our...disagreements of late, I need someone I can actually trust."

"The others don't need watching, they are loyal." Darkstripe replied, his fur beginning to bristle.

"Better to be safe than sorry. I'm only taking those three to guard me, it's about the only thing they are worth. And even if the camp is attacked, the demons will serve as a good shield to protect the true warriors!" Bluestar shot back, heading for her den while Darkstripe watched her go. He then looked to the stars, his gaze troubled.

"StarClan...I don't think it's just Brokenstar we need to worry about! Please, give me the strength to protect my Clanmates. Please!"


	30. A Promise

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Firepaw woke up coughing up blood. Her whole body burned in agony and she couldn't move. She was aware that it was night, the coolness of the ground and breeze blowing told her that. Everything around her was black, Firepaw was blind, she could see nothing. Still, she was alive...barely.

Firepaw could hear her own heart beating. It thrummed painfully in her chest. She tried getting up but sparks of agony stilled her and trembled, everything hurting. She then opened her eyes but still couldn't see, her breath coming out faster and faster. There were noises, so many sounds. She couldn't see, she couldn't move. Everything hurt and it felt like she was burning!

Her head was cracking, it felt like claws were digging into her skull and slowly prying it apart. Why wouldn't the pain stop?! Was something picking at her brain? She couldn't move, no matter how much she tried. Her head was ripping apart, fangs driving right into her head. Her blood was spilling on the ground as someone danced on her skull. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts! It hurts! IT HURTS!

Fear started to consume her, her chest heaving rapidly. Her blood was still flowing and her skull was still breaking. It was all dark, there was nothing. Something...was something coming towards her? She didn't know. Tears welled up in Firepaw's eyes and she opened her mouth, only one name, one cat came to her as cold started to grip her and she felt like she was falling. One final smiling face coming to her before Firepaw was plunged into darkness.

"SANDPAW!"

XxXx

The time to leave was rapidly approaching, Sandpaw, Ravenpaw, and Tigerclaw were all settled around Spottedleaf who was handing out herbs to the three cats. Yellowfang was watching nearby, her eyes narrowed. During the day Spottedleaf had asked the older cat to join her in her den, out of the elements. Many of the demons were surprised to find that the ex ShadowClan molly agreed and moved to sleep in the healer's den. Some were a little uneasy around her but seeing that she was another medicine cat and a fellow demon, they soon got over it and allowed her peace.

Sandpaw found out that the pair often bickered and fought, but she could see that while there was slight annoyance in Yellowfang's gaze, both mollies would often smile and gently insult one another while the younger of the two worked. This time was no exception.

"If you want them to make it to Highstones soon, you'd better work faster, Spottedleaf. I've seen dead turtles move faster!" Yellowfang called out, her tail flicking in amusement.

Spottedleaf smirked before flicking a berry at the older molly, shaking her head. "It can't be any slower than you, Yellowfang. Everything will be fine, don't you worry."

No sooner had she finished speaking did Bluestar show up, her ears twitching irritably and her claws scraping the ground. "Is everything ready, we need to start heading for Highstones."

Both healers regarded her with a thinly veiled contempt before Spottedleaf sighed and got to her paws. She then shoved the last bit of herbs to the traveling cats before turning her back.

"Good luck, travel safely." she muttered before heading into her den with Yellowfang following after.

Bluestar watched them before turning her gaze to the trio that would be coming with her and nodding, heading for the camp entrance. The three demons followed her with Tigerclaw taking the lead.

As they reached the entrance, Bluestar stopped to speak to Darkstripe who was standing guard with Lionheart by his side. The leader regarded them both neutrally but her tail was flicking, however she kept her voice calm.

"Be on your guard while we are away. There's no telling what ShadowClan might do if they catch wind that their leader and some if it's fighting force is away. If they do attack, show them that ThunderClan is strong. We are not WindClan, we will NOT be chased out of our territory!"

The males nodded to this while Lionheart looked down on the two apprentices, smiling at them. "This will be the farthest either of you have gone, be careful but don't be afraid to explore as much as you can. There are many things that you can learn about outside the borders of the Clans."

"There won't be any time to explore, we'll have to get to the Moonstone as soon as possible." Bluestar snapped, shaking her head and heading off without them.

The apprentices sighed at that but Darkstripe cheered them up with a low whisper and a wink. "Don't worry, I'll take you out one of these days to explore. It would be good for you."

"Maybe we can even find Firepaw if we're quick enough. No one has seen her and...I'm worried." Sandpaw muttered, clawing a little at the dirt. "Hopefully she'll be fine, Sandpaw. I don't think that Firepaw would let anything get the jump in her." Lionheart replied, giving her ear a calming lick. "Now, off you go and stay safe!"

"Look after them, Tigerclaw." Darkstripe told the older cat, giving him a nod to which the tabby said nothing and only gave a quick tail twitch.

With the trio going to catch up with Bluestar, the journey to Highstones had finally begun.

XxXx

The ThunderClan patrol traveled at a fast pace through their territory, taking to the trees to travel a bit faster. However Sandpaw and Ravenpaw struggled to keep up, they still haven't been completely trained in tree running yet so their progress was slow.

Bluestar didn't seem to care about this and urged the younger cats to move faster. Ravenpaw did his best but nearly tripped and fell. If it wasn't for Sandpaw being right behind him, the young black tom would have plunged to his death. Sandpaw had grabbed onto his scruff and hauled the other demon to his paws, Tigerclaw simply watched before turning to Bluestar.

"We're heading to the ground, there's no point in getting these apprentices killed. Even you wouldn't want innocent blood on your paws just from being too impatient to reach Highstones." The massive tabby then leapt down and looked over at the apprentices, nodding to them. Sandpaw and Ravenpaw soon followed.

Bluestar hissed and flattened her ears but as the trio continued on without her, she had no choice but follow. "Tigerclaw...you'll regret this!" she muttered to herself, growling.

As they reached the ground, Sandpaw suddenly lowered her nose to the ground and took a few steps to the left, her heart pounding in her chest. She...she could smell Firepaw! And blood, lots of it. There was also the scent of ShadowClan. She called out to the others who had looked past her and urged them to come.

"Firepaw, she's here, somewhere! Please, Bluestar, we have to find her!"

"There's no time to search for a coward!" Bluestar snapped, starting to move on. Her tail was still lashing from Tigerclaw's words earlier.

Hot fury rushed through Sandpaw and before she could stop herself, she growled at her leader. "Firepaw isn't a coward! She's brave and strong and cunning! There's ShadowClan scent here and blood. She could have fought them off and got captured! We have to save her!"

"She left the Clan because she couldn't handle what was happening around us." It was surprisingly Tigerclaw who spoke, but his voice was quiet, full of disappointment. "Someone like that, doesn't deserve to to be rescued. She made her choice, now we must make ours." He then turned to follow Bluestar, flicking his tail for the apprentices to follow.

Ravenpaw gave her a sympathetic look but said nothing, quickly hurrying after the adult cats. Sandpaw stayed rooted to the spot, her whole body feeling numb. Firepaw _did_ leave them, she even warned Sandpaw of this, but the pale molly knew it wasn't because of cowardice. Firepaw wasn't afraid of anything!

But as Tigerlcaw's words drifted in her head, Sandpaw looked around the forest and wondered, if she could truly leave her friend behind. She took a step towards where Firepaw's scent drifted towards until an angry yowl from Bluestar cut through her thoughts.

Sandpaw flinched and flattened her ears. She lingered for a heartbeat longer before running after the rest of her patrol. _'I'm sorry, Firepaw! I know you're not a coward! Your blood has been spilled by ShadowClan! I won't give up on you! I promise to come back and find you, no matter what it takes!"_

**A/N: another short one, guys. Sorry this update took so long, this past month has really been something terrible. I just wasn't in the mood to update. Things are getting a little better and hopefully the chapters won't take nearly as long. Let's cling to hope that stays true. But as always, please enjoy the story.**


	31. A Shining Rebuke, A Shadowy Bargain

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Sandpaw followed after the group, her paws heavy and her paws dragging in the dirt. None of the others said anything to her as they journeyed onward. Ravenpaw was the only one who paid her any kind of attention, nuzzling her gently but staying quiet. They eventually reached WindClan's territory and while they knew it was empty, Bluestar still cautioned them, ShadowClan may be prowling close by.

Luckily there was no ShadowClan warriors prowling about and the group soon reached the other side of the territory with no problem. Ravenpaw had looked up as shadows started to fall over them, to see Highstones in the distance. He went back to nudge Sandoaw and the two apprentices stare at the distant stones in awe. Tigerclaw had looked back to see them and smirked before turning his attention on Bluestar.

The old molly was sniffing at the ground and had her ears angled towards some Twoleg dens nearby. The cats could hear Twoleg kits screaming and running about while more importantly, the sound of dogs reached their ears. As Bluestar moved them along, the group saw some dogs try to lunge at them but were stopped by ropes tied from their collars to a peg in the ground.

"Hmph, at least that's one thing we don't have to worry about." Tigerclaw muttered, giving the tied dogs a short growl.

As they travel onward, coming near a barn, they are stopped by a voice calling out to them. "Bluestar! It's been a while since I've seen you! What's the occasion?" The owner of the voice steps out from the shadow of the barn to reveal a hulking black and white tom. Despite his size, his legs were rather short, but he still looked rather strong.

Sandpaw looked over at him, seeing that his blue eyes, while friendly and open, darted to the rest of them. Perhaps he was not used to seeing so many cats? She then noticed that in his left eye, a strip of bright red covered the bottom half.

"You're a demon!" she found herself saying before she could stop herself. Bluestar looked at her with a unreadable expression but turned back to the tom, her ears now flat. The tom heard her and smiled at the pale apprentice, just a bit before sitting down and keeping his distance.

"That I am, young one. Good eye." the tom muttered with a smirk, though kept his eyes on Bluestar. Sandpaw noticed he looked just slightly above the leader's head so his gaze wouldn't make her fall into the haze.

Bluestar seemed to bristle slightly at his words and lowers her head. Sandpaw blinked, did Bluestar not know about him being a demon? She mostly got her answer when Bluestar spoke, her voice tight and barely hiding a growl. Of newly rising hatred or fear, Sandpaw couldn't say.

"Barley, we must be going now. I have to speak to our ancestors. There is no time to _chat_." she hissed out the word and Barley seemed to realize where this was going and got to his paws, dipping his head.

"It's alright, I just spotted you coming up and thought that if you were heading back later tonight that-"

"We don't have time!" Bluestar snapped, interrupting and shouldering past the bulky tom and bumping against him. "Let's go, you three!" As Ravenpaw and Tigerclaw moved to join Bluestar, Sandpaw lingered just long enough to dip her head to Barley. "I'm sorry."

XxXx

Highstones reared over them, Sandpaw and Ravenpaw craned their necks to see if they could see the top but the mountain was too large for them to even begin to see the top. Bluestar gets their attention with a a small growl but for once it doesn't seem like she was trying to be malicious. She was looking at the setting sun and narrowed her eyes.

"I will have to wait until the moon is nearly above us before I can go and speak to StarClan. If you want, go and hunt. I will remain here."

The two apprentices and Tgerclaw nodded and soon left her to try and hunt for something to fill their bellies. Sandpaw managed to hunt down a rabbit and Tigerclaw a large bird. Ravenpaw came to join them with two big mice in his jaws. Together, the three of them ate in silence, Ravenpaw stayed close to Sandpaw and the pale furred molly noticed the big tabby rather uncomfortable and his tail was twitching but before she could comment on it, Tigerclaw finished eating and stood up.

"If we have time to wait, then I'm going to scout about for a bit. Barley was trying to warn us of something, I'm going to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. Don't wait for me." After that he walked into the deepening shadows and soon vanished from sight.

Ravenpaw watched him go before sighing and finishing his meal as well. He then got to his paws and walked back to Bluestar. The silvery-gray molly said nothing as the skinny black tom settled a small distance from her and set his eyes on Mothermouth, the entrance to Highstones that would lead Bluestar down the mystical Moonstone to where she would communicate with StarClan.

The ThunderClan leader looked over to the two apprentices and noticed one of her party missing and narrowed her eyes. "Where is Tigerclaw?"

"He went to scout again, he wanted to make sure things were quiet for when we journeyed back." Ravenpaw answered, his head down and not meeting her gaze. Bluestar snorted and shook her head. "It can't be helped. He can defend himself. The time to speak with StarClan draws near. You two, guard the entrance, I'm going inside."

She then left the two younger cats to pick her way down the darkened tunnel. Ravenpaw and Sandpaw watched her go in even after her body was swallowed up by the darkness.

Bluestar stepped through the cold tunnel, into the dim light of the cavern where a great white crystal laid in the middle. The Moonstone. The ThunderClan molly looked up, there was a small break in the roof of the mountain, allowing fresh air and moonlight to flow into the cavern. The moon was getting into position, Bluestar walked over the glittering stone and laid down, just as she was pressing her nose to the stone, the light of the moon shined down, bathing her in light. Bluestar closed her eyes and fell into darkness.

XxXx

Bluestar opened her eyes to find herself in a warm, sunny forest. The air was filled with the scent of prey and she felt a peace around her that she hadn't felt in a few weeks. Closing her eyes to absorb it, she was taken slightly by surprise when another molly's scent came to her, one that she knew rather well.

"Mother!"

Bluestar turned to face her mother, a beautiful looking silvery-gray striped molly who greeted her daughter with a smile and a nod. Bluestar couldn't help but rush over to her, rubbing her face against the soft fur and purring softly.

"Moonflower! You must know what is going on in the Clan you love! Please, tell me what to do! My Clan is divided, there are more demons than I thought in my Clan. There's fighting, harsh words, flaring tempers. I don't know what to do."Bluestar lowered her head, showing a vulnerable side to Moonflower that she couldn't show to her Clan. She was their leader, she couldn't afford to show weakness.

Moonflower narrowed her eyes and blinked, looking up into the sunlit trees and sighing softly. "Bluestar, do you truly think that I am blind? You said it yourself, I can see what is becoming of my Clan. And what you have done to further worsen it."

Bluestar stiffened and jumped back, staring at her mother with wide eyes. "What are you-"

"You show favoritism to those cats who are non-demon, you allow half of your Clan to sleep out, exposed to the elements! They must sneak around to feed themselves and you do nothing when they are maligned and mistreated!"

Bluestar flattened her ears and turned her head away, her claws gripping the dirt before her. "What do you think I'm supposed to do? They lied to me, killed and ate warriors of other Clans! Are you telling me that I'm just suppose to look the other way?"

"I'm saying that your supposed to be there for them, ALL of them! You shouldn't have let it get this far!" Moonflower countered, a small hiss following her words.

"But they lied to me. How can I trust them?" Bluestar muttered, shaking her head.

"My dear, you cannot let rage and fear control you. Would you feel the same if you knew that these demons were closer to you than you know?" Moonflower asked, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws. Bluestar tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" there was a growl of uncertainty in her voice. Moonflower only blinked and huffed, turning to stand.

"Bluestar, your Clan loves you and want to be by your side. The whole of it. Look past your fear and hate. Listen to your heart, not your head." She started moving away but Bluestar moved to block her path.

"Wait! Mother, please! ShadowClan, tell me what I should do about Brokenstar and his Clan. You don't seriously want your Clan to be wiped out by the likes of that monster, do you?"

Moonflower was silent for a moment before she looked her adult kit in the eyes, her face grim. "There will be a battle, ShadowClan will attack your camp tonight. There will be death. Despite what I said, there is one you cannot trust. He will bring destruction and ruin to your Clan. Fear the shadows, Bluesstar. They will rain down blood upon you."

With those words, Bluestar was thrust back into the waking world. She opened her eyes and raced out of the tunnel. Sandpaw and Ravenpaw looked over at her as their leader began racing across the field.

"Come now, apprentices! ThunderClan is in danger, we've no time to lose!"

XxXx

Tigerclaw moved through the marshy forest with a scowl on his face but he continued to move forward. His ears pricked as he thought he saw movement, he paused for a moment, trying to peer into the darkness when behind him the shadows flickered and the tabby felt claws prick at his neck.

"What are you doing here, ThunderClan scum?" Blackfoot's voice sounded close to Tigerclaw's ear and when the tabby tried to move, he felt fangs nick at his neck. The lare male instantly stilled himself.

"I can give you ThunderClan! Bluestar is away along with two of our apprentices! If you let me live, I will lead you there! Kill all the non-demon cats there and I can assure you we will follow you without question!"

Blackfoot narrowed his eyes then looked into the deeper part of the forest, his mind wrapping around his information. "How can you be sure about this?"

"We all hate Bluestar and the cats that follow her! Please, if they are wiped out, we will finally be at peace! I WILL lead you to the camp!" Tigerclaw tired to twist his neck to stare at Blackfoot but the larger tom kept him pinned. Eventually though, the tabby felt the weight leave him as Blackfoot started to walk away.

"Brokenstar will want to hear this." the white tom muttered, looking at Tigerclaw with narrowed eyes. As the tabby walked by his side, the deputy of ShadowClan kept his claws out, ready to defend if Tigerclaw double crossed him.

**A/N: I am so, so sorry for the long wait, guys. Wi-fi loss, family drama and work has kept me away. But I hope you will still stay and enjoy this chapter. Hopefully the next won't take nearly as long.**


	32. Don't Be Afraid

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

Bluestar raced through the fields, moving as fast as her paws would allow. Ravenpaw and Sandpaw struggled to keep up. Everything was moving in a blur for the two apprentices and without Tigerclaw to boot, they were still fairly in the dark. All they knew was what Bluestar told them but it still didn't feel like much. Sandpaw tripped over an unseen rock and went tumbling head over tail, Ravenpaw skidding to a stop to help her. Bluestar growled in frustration before turning to pick the younger molly up roughly by the scruff, snorting.

"We don't have a moment to lose! ThunderClan is in danger! No more mistakes! We have to move!" Bluestar hissed with narrowed eyes, ignoring the surprise and concern covering the apprentices' faces.

"But what about Tigerclaw? He's still out there somewhere." Sandpaw called back, trailing after Bluestar with Ravenpaw at her heels.

"There's no time! I will not risk my whole loyal Clan for just one demon!" Bluestar shot back with another growl, causing the pair to falter and look at eachother. Was it only the non-demon cats Bluestar was worried about?

"Ravenpaw, Sandpaw! I will not wait for you! Hurry up!" Bluestar's shout caused the pair to come back to reality and sent them running faster to catch up to their leader.

The barn, the structure that the friendly demon Barley lived in, was coming into view. Soon they would be entering the Clans' territories once again. Yet just was they were crossing a ditch and about to reach WindClan's border, a few low chuckles sounded in the bushes before them, along with some unfamiliar scents, six in total.

The bushes shook violently before a large red furred molly came stalking out, following by five other cats, each of them much bigger than the Clan cats. "Where are you going, small ones? Why the rush? Perhaps we can help you get to where you're going?" the red molly said, a small smirk on her face as she walked towards them. The other cats blocked the path at her tail waving a signal.

"I am the leader of ThunderClan! We have no business and no time to deal with you. Move aside!"

Sandpaw flattened her ears as she moved closer to Bluestar, she could smell blood and rotting flesh coming from all of them. But when she looked into the molly's eyes, she felt her mind faltering before she shook her head, growling. Yet that hesitation cost her as the red molly grinned and flung herself at the pale apprentice. Sandpaw's eyes widened in fear as she felt the massive female's jaws clamp onto her shoulder and drag her down.

Growling in pain, Sandpaaw tried to swipe at the other molly but even though she had undoubtedly gotten stronger from eating other cats herself, it was still nothing compared to this female. Her claws barely seemed to faze the molly and she smirked before biting harder.

Snarling weakly, Sandpaw tried clawing at her attacker once again and managed to get her claws into the other's eye, making her yowl in pain and loosen her grip. It was just enough for the pale furred apprentice to wriggle away and create some distance.

The apprentice briefly glanced to see Bluestar managing to drive one of the demons off, though she was bleeding heaving from a wound on her head while for a moment, she couldn't even see Ravenpaw. The black furred tom then jumped from the shadows of a nearby tree above, trying to take down one the hungry demons and doing so by shredding open his leg.

His opponent barely seemed to notice and though he limped, unlike his friend, he didn't run off. The others stayed too, glaring at the Clan cats and baring their fangs. Sandpaw groaned as her wounds throbbed, what would it take for these guys to leave?! Would they only stop if they were killed?!

"You fight well, Clan cat. I wonder if your flesh will taste all the better for the work you made me put in before killing you." The red furred she-demon snorted softly, a taunting grin on her face before she lunges at Sandpaw, intent on finishing their battle.

Sandpaw barely had time to react before someone pushed her from behind, Bluestar. The ThunderClan leader had just enough time to look back at the apprentices before she was swarmed by the demons, their bodies completely covering Bluestar's.

Eyes wide in confusion and fear, Sandpaw rushed to save her leader, charging into the red pelted molly and sinking her fangs deep into the other's scruff and hauling her off with all the strength she had. A quick glance told her that Ravenpaw had done the same with a tom and now Bluestar was struggling to rise with the other three demons still clinging to her.

Sandpaw threw the other female with all the strength she had, baring her fangs in challenge before rushing forward. Her claws hooked onto flesh and for a second she grinned with satisfaction as she felt her opponent's skin first stretch and then burst, the molly's blood flowing between her toes as Sandpaw brought her paws, clawing the demon further.

However that moment was gone as the red molly managed to get under Sandpaw and fling her into a tree, stunning her. The demon then pressed all her weight down on her chest while her clawsdug into the softer flesh there. As the breath was being crushed out of her, the demon smirked, sneering down in Sandpaw's face.

"You will be a worthy meal! You certainly made me work for it, I'll enjoy every minute of eating you!" she snarled, playfully snapping her teeth dangerously close to Sandpaw's eyes, grinning darkly. Sandpaw looked up at the fearsome molly, she felt fear beginning to swamp her and she trembled, closing her eyes.

No one was going to save her now. Ravenpaw and Bluestar were fighting for their own lives. Tigerclaw had disappeared, there was no one to help her. She felt one the molly's paws leave her chest, perhaps she was readying for the killing blow.

The demon's claws came down and Sandpaw felt searing hot pain burn her whole chest. Her eyes opened in terror as she stared at the demon trying to claw her to pieces. The fire spread to her face as the molly continued to tear at her. The ThunderClan apprentice opened her mouth to scream but it was cut off with a gurgle as she felt her throat being cut.

As she felt her whole body burn, Sandpaw closed her eyes once more. It was all she could do, she was going to die after all.

She was going to die? But...she didn't want to die. She had a full life ahead of her, she hadn't become a warrior yet. And...she still hadn't found Firepaw.

Firepaw. What would Firepaw think of her, dying like this? She would scoff and call her weak. Would this be how her life ends? Being eaten by another demon?

_'SANDPAW! FIGHT BACK! You are a demon just like me! Don't be afraid! You are a demon, don't run from what you are! Confront it! Embrace it, Sandpaw! Go for her throat like a real demon!'_

As the red furred female readied herself for the final blow, Sandpaw opened her eyes as a growl tore it's way from her throat. Firepaw's words, be they real somehow or fake, pushed her to her paws. She lunged, putting all her power into her bite as she aimed for the demon's left eye, crushing it like a grape.

The demon screamed in agony and through a lot of twisting and jumping about, she managed to dislodge Sandpaw who landed on her feet. The larger female shook her head, raining droplets on the ground before moving to glare at Sandpaw with her remaining eye, only to shrink back and flatten her ears.

Sandpaw stared back, her lips covered in blood that she licked off. Narrowing her eyes, she lashed her tail taking a step forward. Her movements were calm, almost lazy and her fur laid flat on her body. Only her eyes, narrowed into slits and filled with such a will to go on, showed an unwavering desire to bring down the one who threaten her To rend her body limb from limb and and leave nothing of her behind.

"Get out of my way. There is someone I need to find and to do that, I cannot die here. I won't be your prey!"

The demon snarled and arched her back, hissing softly. "You think just because you got in a lucky hit, you're safe? I'm done holding back! Prepare to die, Clan cat!"

Sandpaw huffed softly at that, showing her fangs slowly. "I won't be afraid ever again. If you don't leave...I'LL EAT YOU ALIVE!"

"Go ahead and try, runt!" The two then charged at each other, the larger female getting the upper hand by landing on Sandpaw's back. However, Sandpaw didn't remain idle and sunk her fangs into the red female's chest, biting down as hard as she could. She then maneuvered out from under the molly, tearing into her shoulder as she did so.

Her opponent growled and ran after her, trying to hook her claws into Sandpaw's legs and trip her, but Sandpaw remained just always out of reach. The pale flame molly then suddenly turned, opening her jaws and charging straight for her attacker. There wasn't any time for the demon to react and Sandpaw's fangs struck true.

Ripping open her throat, Sandpaw stood over the slain molly, staring down at her corpse. Then without any hesitation, she began to eat. Sandpaw would have finished the meal with no remorse but a struggling cry brought her attention toward the deeper darkness. Ravenpaw was facing a hulking demon of his own, but the black cat was faltering. His claw swipes were slow and sluggish and soon the other male was able to pin her fellow apprentice down.

Growling, Sandpaw dashed forward, tackling the male and quickly slashing his throat. Ravenpaw watched the murder happen in stunned silence, it was only broken by the two remaining demons seeing what had happened to their companions and running off.

Ravenpaw said nothing as they ran, leaving him and Sandpaw alone. It was then he remembered Bluestar and limped over to her.

The pale silver-blue molly was lying on her side, her fur was in tatters and she was deathly still. Ravenpaw tried nudging her but the leader didn't respond. Sandpaw walked over to Ravenpaw's side and sat down, staring down at Bluestar's body. Ravenpaw looked up at her and flinched, seeing the cold look in Sandpaw's eyes and the blood that still coated her body. Was this really his Clanmate? What happened to her?

The pale flame apprentice blinked once and lowered herself onto her belly, then placed her head on her paws. She didn't seem to really notice Ravenpaw and only sighed gently. "We'll wait until she wakes up. To leave her here, those demons might come back. While I'm not sure, I don't think this is her last life."

Ravenpaw merely nodded but as his eyes scanned across Sandpaw's body, she looked the same but he felt like something was still _off._ Sandpaw caught him staring and only snorted, flicking her ears.

"I heard Firepaw's voice...She helped to defeat that demon. Now...I'll embrace who I am. I won't be afraid of anything anymore."

"So...you are like the rest of us now." Ravenpaw muttered, looking mildly tense but Sandpaw only smiled a little and moved to lick his cheek.

"I won't mind, being like the rest of my brothers and sisters." Sandpaw replied with a soft smile before turning her attention back to Bluestar's body. "Hurry up, Bluestar. If the Clan really is in danger, we'll need you! Hurry, wake up!"


	33. Battle and Deaths in the Night

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

The night was starting to get cold and Bluestar still did not so much as twitch. Ravenpaw had taken to cleaning his and Sandpaw's wounds and fur after the pair had decided to finish eating the red molly that Sandpaw had killed.

Sandpaw then stood, thinking that there was nothing left for them and nudged Ravenpaw, ready to leave Bluestar's body when the leader's tail twitch. Both apprentices blinked, thinking that what they saw was just a trick of their minds when Bluestar's body shifted slightly.

The ThunderClan leader groaned as her eyes regained their light and awareness and she slowly moved her head to face the apprentices looking down on her.

"What...You're still here?" she croaked, her ears giving a small twitch. Sandpaw snorted softly and turned her head away while Ravenpaw looked uncomfortable.

"We were...about to leave you and head to ThunderClan, actually." the male muttered, his tail flickering back and forth.

"But you stayed this long..." the leader muttered before shaking her head then struggled to get up, yet when Ravenpaw tried to help her up, she growled softly at him. "I can do this myself!" she grumbled, shaking her head.

When she finally managed to get to her paws, realization dawned on her and she looked about. "Those demons...that's what Barely was trying to warn us about! Did he...did he ever come to fight."

"No, he didn't. He probably thought it was best to stay away. He probably didn't think his help would have been appreciated." Sandpaw groused, getting to her paws and shaking out her fur. She pretended that she didn't she the mild glare Bluestar sent her. "If you are fit to travel, we should get going. ThunderClan might still be in danger."

Bluestar couldn't argue with that though to have an apprentice telling her what to do was a little irksome. But then we didn't have time to chat, they needed to leave now.

After shaking out her fur, Bluestar led the way, she realized they had lost a lot of time while she was coming back from StarClan and she could only hope there was a Clan to come back to when they finally got there.

XxXx

There endless yowls and snarls of pain, rage and fear. ShadowClan had followed Tigerclaw right into the heart of ThunderClan camp and fell on the unprepared warriors like a dark wave once given the signal by the dark tabby. All over the the camp, there was fighting, screeching cats. The demons all tried to stay together but soon, the sheer amount of ShadowClan cats invading forced them to separate and slowly but surely, be overwhelmed.

Tigerclaw was in the battle and while he made a show of fighting, he was careful to keep his claws sheathed. He would only lightly bat at an opposing ShadowClan warrior and they would dart away from him and run a small distance before rounding on another warrior of the camp.

He saw Lionheart and Whitestorm fighting side by side. The two big toms protected each other well but soon one ShadowClan cat brought Whitestorm down and Lionheart himself was pinned and had to help himself first. Darkstripe was tangling with two ShadowClan warriors, snapping at their faces and managing to drive one off before turning to face his other opponent. Runningwind and Longtail were struggling to fight their battles, having to deal with warriors twice their size. It was a fight they knew they wouldn't win.

The tabby half demon looked around and smirked, it seemed like all was going according to plan, soon the normal cats of ThunderClan would be so weak they would look to him and his brothers and sisters for protection. That was until he noticed one ShadowClan cat, the demon warrior Clawface, heading for the nursery, the tom narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

What was going on, why was that warrior heading to the nursery? There was no one but a regular warrior guarding the kits. Surely they could spare one warrior if for that reason? Tigerclaw's eyes widened when he saw Smaller try to defend the kits, even succeeding in giving Clawface a nasty bite before the younger and bigger warrior slices his throat and throws his body thrown cruelly to the side before snatching up two kits and trying to make off with them.

"Stop!" Tigerclaw snarled, blocking the warrior's path with his fur bristling. "This wasn't part of the deal! Put those kits back!" Clawface only twitched his ears, moving around Tigerclaw only to be blocked again.

Clawface narrowed his eyes and snorted, his tail flicking in mounting irritation. "Deal? No, Tigerclaw. There was never a deal. You thought you could control us but Brokenstar never needed you in the first place. But the sight of seeing you actually betraying your Clan, thinking we would help you become strong...now that was something none of us could pass up." Clawface then looked over Tigerclaw's shoulder and suddenly smirked before bunching his muscles and heading into the shadows.

"Looks like you have to face your disloyalty sooner than you think, Tigerclaw." Clawface's laugh echoed from the shadows and Tigerclaw tilted his head before turning around to see Spottedleaf staring at him.

She was wounded and covered in blood but right now, that was the least of her worries. She narrowed her eyes and hissed loudly at Tigerclaw. "Tigerclaw...tell me I heard wrong. Tell me that you really didn't betray us."

Tigerclaw flinched and looked Spottedleaf in the eyes, his expression turning mildly frantic. "There's no time for that, Spottedleaf! Clawface stole our kits! We need to chase after him!" However when he turned to chase after the ShadowClan warrior, Spottedleaf only snarled at him, forcing the tabby to stop.

"Tigerclaw! They are killing your Clan! Smallear is dead! Goldenflower is hanging on by a thread! Our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered!"

"I didn't mean for it to be this way! I just wanted us to be able to live in peace! I never wanted this!" Tigerclaw shot back, flattening his ears as the true weight of what he had done was starting to hit him.

"Traitor! THIS was how you were going to help us?! You're actions are going to get us all killed!"

"No! Please auntie! It wasn't supposed to be this way! Redtail didn't understand and I had to-"

"Redtail? What did you..." Spottedleaf then faltered as the pieces fell into place. "You...you killed him! You killed my brother!" her voice rose in agony as she threw her head back in grief. Tigerclaw shuddered, taking a step back and shaking his own head.

"I didn't mean to... I never wanted to kill him. Auntie, I'm sorry!" Tigerclaw tried to nuzzle Spottedleaf, but she flinched away from him, showing her fangs before raising her claws at the tom's head, slashing into his cheek and muzzle. She reared up on her hind legs and swattered Tigerclaw hard against a tree, snarling loudly.

"You killed him! You killed my brother! I will never forgive you, Tigerclaw! Never!" she then pounced on him, sinking her fangs into his shoulder while Tigerclaw desperately tried to get her off him.

Without truly meaning to, the tabby warrior used the claws for which he was named to batter at Spottedleaf's belly. His thorn sharp claws ripped and tore into the healer's flesh but she still attacked him, biting at his face and neck and tearing large wounds into his body.

Both cats were soon more blood than feline and both were getting tired, Tigerclaw used his larger size to finally push Spottedleaf off him and staggered to his paws. The healer took a few seconds herself to regain her energy then took a step to finish this fight.

"For my brother! For Redtail!" Spottedleaf muttered, looking to the sky before turning her furious gaze on Tigerclaw, who stared pleadingly at her.

"Spottedleaf...please..." Tigerclaw panted, trying to back away but Spottedleaf followed, leaping at him with claws and fangs aiming for his vitals.

Tigerclaw reared up to meet Spottedleaf, the force of her jump sent them rolling into the darkness if the camp. There was two screams of pain before it went silent. After a few minutes had passed, Tigerclaw stumbled out of the the darkness, his neck and chest ripped open. Yet despite his horrible wounds, he turned and dragged Spottedleaf's body to the center of camp. The healer's belly was further torn, her intestines dragging into dirt. Finally Tigerclaw collapsed, his breathing shallow and fast.

"Auntie...I'm...sorry...I never wanted...this..." Tigerclaw gave one last look to Spottedleaf before darkness claimed him. Spottedleaf was in no better shape, her eyes holding a fading glow of hatred for what her nephew did.

"Tiger...claw...I will haunt you...for the rest of your days...you killed my brother and members of our Clan...May you never...find...peace..." Spottedleaf used her last breaths to curse her nephew before her eyes lost their light and she breathed her last.

All around the pair, ShadowClan was running from the camp, yowling in triumph as they left Thunderclan in shambles.

XxXx

Bluestar, Ravenpaw, and Sandpaw finally reached Thunderclan's camp, only to find ShadowClan's scent and the smell of blood covering the whole area. Bluestar slowed to a halt and looked all around, finding only Tigerclaw and Spottedleaf huddled still in the center of camp. The rest of her Clan were hiding in their dens.

"Darkstripe, report!" the leader called to her deputy who limped out the warriors' den towards her. He briefly looked down to the slain Spottedleaf and unmoving Tigerclaw, wondering what happened to them. But Bluestar's growl pulled him back to what was asked of him.

"ShadowClan attacked us with barely any warning, if it wasn't for Tigerclaw, we all could have been killed. I mean there were a few casualties but..."

"Where is Whitestorm?" Bluestar interupted him, looking all around for her kin. Lionheart stepped forward, gently carrying the older warrior over his back, his white fur ripped and stained with blood. He wasn't moving.

Bluestar's eyes widened as she stooped to Whitestorm's side, pressing her nose into his cooling fur and nudging him gently. "Whitestorm? Can you hear me? Please...get up. You have to get up!" Her voice was starting to edge towards frantic, licking a gruesome cut of his shoulder, her whole body shaking.

Lionheart bowed his head and stepped closer to Bluestar, his shoulders shaking a bit. "I'm sorry. We were fighting together. He was pulled down by his opponent and then swarmed. I tried to help him but was pinned. When I was able to get free, it was already too late. Whitestorm fought bravely, down to his last breath."

Bluestar remained still, still nuzzling into her nephew's fur, licking his cheek before turning her gaze onto the golden warrior. Her breath began to come out harsh and fast before without warning, striking with her claws at Lionheart's eye, causing him to cry out in pain.

"I told you to defend my Clan! This is how you do it!? Did you even truly try to save Whitestorm?! Did you even try your hardest to fight against ShadowClan?! Any of you demons?!" Bluestar yowled, tears filling her eyes as she walked towards her stricken warrior. She was about to raise her claws again but Darkstripe blocked her path.

"Get out of the way, Darkstripe!" she roared, flecks of white beginning to froth from her mouth.

"Do you think these cats wounded themselves? Of course they fought for the Clan! And they have suffered much! Smallear is dead! Spottedleaf is dead! Graypaw, Goldenflower, Tigerclaw and Willowpelt are barely hanging on. Only Whitestorm is gone! I would say we normal cats got off lightly. All of recent deaths have been our demons warriors."

"A pity ShadowClan couldn't finish the rest of you off." Bluestar scoffed hatefully to the shock of even her normal warriors. "Whitestorm didn't deserve to die, he still had so much to give his Clan. He was a true warrior! Unlike you useless pieces of crowfood!"

Lionheart's nostrils flared, gritting his fangs in mounting anger as he stalked towards Bluestar, he barely registered Darkstripe trying to hold him back. "How DARE you?! We gave everything we had to defend this Clan and now our brothers are dead and all you can do is..."

"They're gone! Frostfur's kits are gone!" Brindleface cried out, stopping anything that Lionheart was going to say.

**A/N: Well shit has hit the fan. A good chuck of the demonic half of the Clan is either dead or injured. The sole medicine cat is dead and now kits are missing. Surely it can't get any worse? Stay tuned and find out and as always, enjoy.**


	34. A Fight of Shadows, A Surge of Fire

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.

_'Thoughts' _**Dreams** Memories

At the mention of Frostfur's kits missing, Bluestar turned her head away, opting to continuing mourning over Whitestorm. The rest of the normal cats didn't know what to do, they looked between their leader to the demons who either ignored them or snarled quietly at them, breaking away to huddle among themselves.

This was the final breaking point, the divide was now cemented and it was plain to see that for a long time, there would be no turning back.

Lionheart shook his head, scattering drops of blood to the dark ground before limping over to Brindleface, nudging her. "Explain. What's do you mean they're gone?"

"I mean their gone!" the queen hissed softly, though the large golden tom could tell it was her worry for her slain sister's kits. "I found Smallear dead in the nursery. ShadowClan scent was all over it, one of their warriors stole our kits!"

Darkstripe bowed his head, trying to rack his brain on what to do. He lifted his head to see the normal cats all backing away, uneasy while the demons regarded him with little interest. Well...at least they didn't glare or snarl at him. Darkstripe decided to at least try to be helpful by walking over to Lionheart and seeing as the other hadn't cleaned the wound that Bluestar gave him, Darkstripe did just that. He inwardly sighed in relief when the larger tom didn't turn him away.

Once the blood was cleaned away, Darkstripe noted with some relief that Lionheart's eye wasn't damaged and told the golden tom such. However, the larger male merely shrugged.

"So my eye is still intact, a small consolation for all that has happened, Darkstripe."

The dark furred tabby flinched as the larger male's harsh tone and he backed away. Lionheart noticed this and sighed, moving to stand closer to the deputy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off as ungrateful. Thank you, Darkstripe." Lionheart muttered softly, trying to make things right by pressing his head against Darkstripe and letting out a small purr. He was thankful that the smaller male didn't turn away and accepted his action.

Their moment was then ruined by Bluestar forcing her way between them, glaring at Lionheart and standing in front of Darkstripe, hissing at the golden warrior. "Get away from him! You've failed to protect Whitestorm! I won't have you take my loyal deputy from me as well!"

Lionheart bristled at this, glaring at Bluestar and unsheathing his claws but a quick glance at Darkstripe's saddened face stilled him and the large demon simply turned away, snarling in fury.

"Lionheart..." Darkstripe tried to get closer to the retreating warrior but Bluestar forced him back, towards the rest of the non-demon cats.

XxXx

Brindleface was pacing back and forth, her claws out and her fur bristling. Around her her brothers and sisters tried to clam her but she shook them off. Three times she made a move to leave the camp, Lionheart would stop her. When Lionheart did this for the final time, Brindleface nearly clawed him, only missing because the male moved at the last second. There was immense fury and agony blazing in her eyes.

"Yellowfang helped ShadowClan steal my sister's kits! Why are you trying to stop me?! I have to save them!"

"You don't know if there are still ShadowClan warriors lurking about! And you don't know if Yellowfang helped them or not." Lionheart countered, looking the angry queen in the eye. "We...haven't really made Yellowfang feel welcomed here, but if she left ShadowClan in the first place, why would she suddenly help them?"

"I looked all around after Brindleface said the kits were gone. There was no blood, maybe she was forced to do it?" Ravenpaw spoke up, shuffling his paws when Lionheart and a few others stared at him.

"We have to get them back! Those kits are our future. Brokenstar may have taken them to cripple us. You heard what he did to WindClan, he might be trying to do the same to us. Kill our kits first and then finish us off and drive out who he doesn't kill."

Lionheart nodded to the black cat's words but looked conflicted, shaking his head. "We have to save them, but who can go? We are all wounded, and ShadowClan may still have cats that are fresh and ready to fight. We would be no help to the kits if we're killed. And we don't have a medicine cat anymore."

His words made the other demons lower their heads but Sandpaw stepped foward, trying not to wince from her earlier injures. ""I'll go. I can take one or two down with me before it's finished. I'm not afraid to die to save my brothers and sisters and our kits."

"You're hurt. Just like we can't afford to lose our kits, our apprentices are just as important! You can't-" Lionheart said softly, his eyes flashing with how...different Sandpaw carried herself. What happened on the trip to the Moonstone?

"I can!" Sandpaw interrupted, lifting her chin and standing taller. "I'm not afraid of anything anymore. Not ShadowClan, not death and not...of who and what I am. I understand now...and I'll embrace it fully."

"Sandpaw..." Lionheart looked at Whitestorm's apprentice, before his very eyes he saw the truth in her words. Sandpaw, even after accepting that she had had to eat the flesh of cats periodically to survive, still struggled with who she was. She used to lash out and wouldn't control herself. But now...here she stood, finally accepting that she was a demon.

Lionheart bowed his head, a small smile on his muzzle. "Alright. You can go."

XxXx

Lionheart organized who was left of his brothers who weren't extremely wounded...or dead. And the sight only made his fur prickle. Before him sat Sandpaw, Ravenpaw, Brindleface and of course himself with Darkstripe, and these were the cats who, while still able to fight, was wounded themselves in some way too. Hardly a fighting force able to take on an entire Clan. The golden warrior sighed before closing his eyes.

So many hurt, so many wounded. Would this be enough? Part of him knew that it wasn't and another, more furious part of him wanted to just cut his losses, take his brothers and leave ThunderClan. They could tend to the wounded, patch them up and leave the forest and this wretched Clan behind.

And go where? Lionheart only knew the forest, anything beyond Highstones was a mystery to him. And taking into account what happened to Ravenpaw and Sandpaw on their way back, there were demons much more hungry and ruthless than they were comfortable with.

Heaving a short breath, Lionheart looked over at the small group and nodded his head. "We are going to ShadowClan, we are going to rescue the kits! And we are going to be there for our fallen brothers! Now then, let's go!" Lionheart took the lead, ignoring the normal cats who watched them go.

Only Bluestar spoke up, her voice holding no emotion. "Where are you going?" she knew what was going on, why did she feel the need to play games?

"We're going to rescue our kits. I know you won't stop us." Brindleface hissed, her fur bristling. Bluestar didn't even blink. She then smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"You're right, I won't. Go and fight ShadowClan if you must. Die too, it doesn't matter to me. You are all worthless!"

Just before the group started moving again, Lionheart held out his tail to Darkstripe. The dark furred warrior titled his head and frowned, after a few seconds he seemed to realize what Lionheart was about to say and opened his mouth to protest.

"I'm going to fight by your side, Lionheart! I want to fight with you!"

Lionheart looked over at him and smiled sadly. "I know you would but...if I were to die, who would guide our young ones? I will not believe that Bluestar would spare any love to Ravenpaw and Sandpaw just because they are young. To think such would be insane. No, if the battle goes poorly, if we cannot save the kits, I will send the apprentices back here. Look after them for me, Darkstripe. Guide them well if I fall."

Darkstripe's eyes widened and for a brief moment, he looked over at Brindleface, who gave a small nod before turning her head to speak with Sandpaw. Darkstripe lowered his head before looking up at Lionheart, pressing his forehead against the larger male's and sighing softly.

"I...will do as you ask. If things do not work, I will guide and protect those two with my life."

"Thank you, Darkstar. May we be victorious and continue walking under the stars together." Lionheart rumbled, a tiny grin adoring his muzzle as Darkstripe grumbled about being called Darkstar again.

XxXx

Sandpaw looked all around the darkened forest of ShadowClan, why did it seem like they stepped into another world when they entered the other Clan's terrotry? And why did it seem so much colder? The pale furred apprenticd shivered before giving herself a mental shake. There was no time to be scared, but as she continued to look around, it seemed like the shadows stretched out further and wanted to snatch her up.

Brindleface and Lionheart seemed to feel the same but they were better at controlling their emotions. Sandpaw felt glad that she wasn't alone and with them, even if it was to fight an enemy Clan.

Ravenpaw stayed close to Sandpaw, his ears flat as he too was uneasy, his tail constantly flicking and his eyes darting to every sound. "It's creepy here. How do the ShadowClan cats stand it, the shadows in particular! They look like they are about to move and grab us! It's so...so oppressive, like thunder."

"Oh, I don't like it's so bad. But of course to us, the shadows are our friends." a raspy voice called out to the group before Yellowfang seemed to appear to from the very shadows themselves, twisting away from her frame as she moved to meet the patrol. She looked at all of them calmly, her expression showing no terror or dismay.

"You think that I stole your kits, am I wrong?" the old gray molly said, sitting down and looking at each warrior in turn, her gaze still cool and collected. Brindleface stepped forward, her claws and fangs bared but still Yellowfang did not move.

"Why else would we be here, risking our lives in this state with so little cats to help us? Where did you take them, to Brokenstar?"

"What makes you think I made it all the way here with young kits all by myself? I thought you ThunderClan cats had more sense than that!" Yellowfang replied, beginning to calmly lick her paw and swipe it over her ear a few times. The blatant disregard she showed Brindleface only agitated the younger molly and she pounced on Yellowfang, digging her claws into her shoulders.

"Where are they!?" Brindleface yowled, going so far as to bite Yellowfang, causing the older molly to kick out at her to get away. Lionheart held Brindleface down when she moved to lunge at the old healer, whispering into her ear. Yet even when Lionheart let her up and she didn't attack Yellowfang again, fury still blazed in her eyes.

"They are all I have left of my sister! You _will_ tell me where you hid them!" the gray molly hissed, her claws digging into the dirt.

Yellowfang narrowed her eyes and shook her ruffled fur, standing a small distance away from the irate female. "I didn't take your kits. I saw Clawface snatching them away so I followed him. I knew that he was taking them to Brokenstar, he plans to use those kits as warriors, if they perform well enough."

"But they aren't old enough!" Sandpaw protested, until she caught else on to what Yellowfang said. "Hold on, what do you mean, if they perform well enough?"

Yellowfang stared back at them with stone cold eyes and said without any emotion to suggest she was lying, "If they are not strong enough, Brokenstar will eat them."

XxXx

Clawface was just getting the camp entrance when he scented someone familiar nearby. He looked to his left, seeing the shadows deepen their hold just for a moment and saw a cat that seemed to made of shadows step towards him. The warrior's eyes widened with surprise as well as relief as the tom stepped closer to him, regarding him with unease and slight fear.

"Nightpelt, brother. Don't...don't be afraid. I won't tell Brokenstar you're here. How...how are you doing?" It was a stupid question, Clawface could see the ribs poking through Nightpelt's fur and the larger warrior noticed a cut on the skinny tom's leg. He dropped the kits and moved to lick the wound, his gaze showing sympathy. "I can talk to Brokenstar again, brother. I'll make him accept you! You're the best tracker we have! The shadows love you! You may have a cough but I know you are strong! Please, brother, let me help you!"

Nightpelt smiled and brushed his tail against Clawface's flank, shaking his head. He then looked down at the squirming kits and sighed. "You are loyal to me and loyal to Brokenstar. Loyalty to that cat is what keeps you alive. Don't risk your life on me, a weak thing like me. Why do you have those kits, they smell like ThunderClan."

"Brokenstar is going to try and train them to see if they are worthy to be warriors." Clawface said, shuffling his paws before an idea struck him. "I can say you helped me get them! Then Brokenstar would have to take you back! It's perfect!"

"And what about the others?" Nightpelt muttered, shaking his head again before turning to cough and struggling to catch his breath. Clawface looked at him worriedly but had no answer for him. "If my friends cannot re-join the safety of the camp, then neither will I. Besides, that place is not the ShadowClan I swore to defend. Come with me, brother. I know you think Brokenstar is right, but kicking us out, stealing kits and killing cats from our own Clan, it isn't right. One day, he might turn on you when it's convient. I don't want you to die, Clawface. Come with me, we survived this long. It's not that bad."

Before Clawface had a chance to anwser, someone, possibly Blackfoot, called out to him. Nightpelt rushed into the shadows, quickly disappearing and leaving his brother alone. Blackfoot came glaring at him before glancing down at the two ThunderClan kits. He snorted before picking one of them up roughly and carrying it back to the camp. Clawface picked up the other kit but stalled, looking into the shadows to see if he could find his brother.

Brokenstar wouldn't really turn on those loyal to him, right? Clawface looked down as he thought about this, the kit mewling and squirming in his jaws. He held it gently, hoping that these kits were strong, he didn't like seeing little ones die needlessly. The warrior was brought out of his thoughts by Blackfoot's angry hiss and he rushed to join the deputy, his bother's words still swirling in his head.

XxXx

"Eat them?!" Brindleface and Lioheart echoed, staring at Yellowfang in disbelief. She only nodded, saying nothing. "How could you keep a cat like that in your ranks?! Why would you make him a _leader_?!" Brindleface snarled, flattening her ears and lashing her tail.

"Anyone who opposes Brokenstar has died and been eaten themselves. Or chased out, in the beginning. In order to keep their lives, most just accepted it or deluded themselves that things will turn out for the better. But it's all breaking down, only Brokenstar's inner circle are loyal to him now. Too many kits, too many cats are dying by Brokenstar's claws, I'm sure if we wanted to, we could get to their camp unopposed. But you'll need more cats than this if you want to take on Brokenstar, I think I can help you with that. Stay here." As she turned to leave them, having the shadows swallow her up, Brindleface turn to the others and shake her head.

"We should just attack now! Frostfur's kits could be eaten! We have to save them now, Lionheart!"

"I agree with you, Brindeface, but perhaps Yellowfang is right. If Brokenstar is ruthless enough to kill kits than maybe we need all the help we can get." the golden warrior replied, looking thoughtful. He couldn't say more as Yellowfang once more appears from the shadow of a pine tree, though she is not alone. Nightpelt and three other cats were with her. The ThunderClan cats could tell at a glance that these were all demons. Despite being old and skinny, they were fairly big and had an air of danger that hadn't faded with age.

One of them, a pale ginger tabby molly stepped foward, dipping her head to the ThunderClan patrol. "When Brokenstar led us to drive out WindClan, two of my kits died. He showed no remorse or care of their deaths. I don't want to lose any more kits. We'll help you take Brokenstar down."

"We appreciate your help, now we only need to think of a plan to sneak into the camp-" Lionheart started, only to be cut off by Nightpelt.

"Sneaking won't work, Brokenstar would be expecting you to come for your kits. The only way to do this is fight them head on." Nightpelt said, looking around at the group of cats. "Only Brokenstar and his inner guard will fight, but they are ruthless, even with us helping you, it will be a tough battle. We'll have quite the fight on our paws."

"So...just rush in, right? No other part to the plan?" Sandpaw spoke up, shaking her head. She and Ravenpaw stayed quiet this whole time, but now, she couldn't help the fact that she was shivering.

Yellowfang looked over at the young apprentice and smiled lightly, her ears twitching. "Only one other part. Fresh blood." she then picks up a paw and slices it open with her fangs, her eyes gleaming as she watched her fellow ShadowClan cats do the same.

XxXx

Brokenstar was studying the kits Clawface brought in with Blackfoot by his side, the dark brown furred leader poked and prodded the kits, the male, a golden brown kit squealing in pain while the tiny gray molly tried biting at the offending paw and letting out a small growl. "Ah, this one is a fighter. I think we should keep her! This tom kit however, I see no use for him. He's barely worth a mouthful but a little snack is better than nothing. Kill the worthless scrap for me, Blackfoot. I'll take care of the female."

Just as Blackfoot dipped his head and readied himself take the little tom, the scent of blood distracts them just enough that the pair looked around, only for a cat to yowl in pain and Lionheart, Brindleface, Ravenpaw and Sandpaw to appear from the trees, jumping on cats from above while Yellowfang and the ShadowClan elders moved from the shadows to bite and slash at the enemy.

Shoving the kits into a small pit, Blackfoot and Brokenstar leap into battle, savagley tearing into any cat they could that was too slow to move away. Blackfoot was at first fighting with Lionheart but managed to gut the golden warrior, burying his claws in deep before tossing him hard into the hard packed earth.

Looking for a new opponent, the deputy caught Sandpaw, pouncing on her back and sinking his fangs deep into her shoulder. Sandpaw yowled in pain before trying to buck the bigger and heavier warrior off her, but to no avail. Sandpaw managed to get her jaws around one of Blackfoot's paws and bit down hard, enough to make the warror snarl in pain and move away from her.

After giving his injured paw a shake, Blackfoot glared at Sandpaw, snorting softly before once more pouncing on the molly. Sandpaw couldn't judge in time and Blackfoot bowled her over, pinning her on her back. The ShadowClan deputy leered down at her, licking his jaws as he clawed at Sandpaw's side and seeming to enjo her writhing in agony.

"Hmm, been a while since I had an apprentice to eat. I hope your meat is nice and tender. Not like that fool Patchpelt. He was a bit too tough for my liking."

He opened his jaws, ready to strike at Sandpaw's throat and the apprentice readied herself for death, bracing and closing her eyes. Suddenly Blackfoot screamed and Sandpaw felt his weight leave her. She rolled over and opened her eyes, only to see the deputy fighting with a smaller molly.

The bright ginger fur stood out even in the darkness and Sandpaw could see those emerald eyes blazing in fury as Blackfoot's opponent savaged his head and chest before leaping away to stand protectively in front of Sandpaw.

"Stay away from her!" the molly snarled, baring her fangs and teeth, readying herself to attack again.

The paler apprentice's eyes widened as she took in the one in front of her. The ragged pelt, the oozing wounds and the skinnier frame did nothing to change who this was. Forgetting herself, Sandpaw purred and pressed her body against the other, twining her tail with hers as tears trailed down her cheeks.

"Firepaw! It's you! You're alive!"

**A/N: Annnnnnnnd Firepaw is back! Everyone rejoice! I know Sandpaw is~ Sorry this chapter took so long and is so long, I just...been going through some stuff that made it hard to want to write anything. I tried to make up for it by making this chapter even longer that usual. And so wanting to show a bit more of ShadowClan too. But this is it, the second to last chapter of A Demon's Fire. I hope that you all will like the last chapter when it comes out. Until then, as always, please enjoy.**


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